I'll Give You the World
by Ariel119
Summary: This story continues where Bridges leaves off, following Kate and Rick on their honeymoon, which means it's M rated right off the bat!  COMPLETE! See "So Good Together" for sequel.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Rick felt Kate's grip tightening on his hand as the plane touched down at Heathrow. He glanced at her face and saw more than a little fatigue there. When they left the Balmoral, he'd arranged for a private car. After their bags were loaded, the driver had taken them on their very own tour of the city before transporting them to the airport.

"So what now? Connecting flight to….?" Kate's voice trailed off, prompting him to supply the destination.

He smiled at her. "Nowhere. We're going to stay in London for a couple of days." They claimed their bags, then followed the signs leading them over the walkway, right to the Sofitel hotel. The new Mr. and Mrs. Castle were escorted to the Honeymoon Suite. Kate collapsed on the bed as Rick was tipping the bellman. He grabbed the room service menu off the side table as he crossed to her.

"I think a quiet night in would be the perfect remedy for that dazed look on your face," he teased her.

She made a feeble attempt to look affronted. "You trying to say I can't keep up with you, Mister World Traveler? I am, after all, younger."

"You are," he agreed, "but there is something to be said for…stamina." He winked at her suggestively. When she rolled her eyes at him he merely grinned. He consulted the menu in his hand. "Well, I think it's an actual requirement here to have tea, considering there's a whole restaurant devoted to it. However, we can save that for tomorrow. Trust me?" he asked, indicating the menu.

Kate wasn't about to admit it, but she was too tired to _think._ She nodded. "Implicitly. What says trust better than 'Here, take my back-up gun'?"

He chuckled at that. Picking up the phone, he dialed room service. "Yes, I'd like to order a meal to room 721. Burgers and chips, carafe of coffee, and chocolate ice cream. Straight away, yes. Thanks."

Kate raised herself onto her elbows to pout at him. "I wanted fries."

"And so you shall have them, my dear. Fries are called chips here."

"So what do they call chips?"

"Crisps. I know, right? Who knew you'd need an English to English dictionary?"

After they ate, Castle disappeared into the bathroom and returned with two sets of robes and slippers. "What do you say we go down to the spa and have a nice soak in the hot tub. You packed a swimsuit, right?"

"Of course I did, it's summer. Besides, I couldn't chance that you would get me a totally inappropriate one."

_Ah, but 'appropriate' is a completely relative term, darling… _Rick thought to himself. Aloud he said "Would I do something like that to you?"

"In a heartbeat." She raised an eyebrow, challenging him to deny it.

He chose his next words carefully. "I will not purchase an inappropriate bathing suit for you."

She looked at him skeptically, then lunged for him and spun him around.

"What are you doing? Getting ready to arrest me again?"

"No, checking to see if you have your fingers crossed behind your back." Satisfied he was speaking the truth, she crossed the room and fished her bathing suit, the modest one, out of her suitcase. She'd hold the 'heart stopper' in reserve for just the right moment.

Down in the spa, she let out a contented sigh as the heat from the water penetrated her muscles. She was so relaxed she actually dozed off for a moment, but fortunately Rick was beside her to keep her from slipping under the surface.

"Let's go up to bed." They took turns in the shower to wash the chlorine off, then bundled in the fluffy robes and returned to their room to dress for bed. Sliding between the Egyptian cotton sheets, Kate snuggled in beside Rick, using his shoulder as her pillow. She draped an arm across his chest and hooked her top leg over his thigh. He curled his arm around her shoulders, further anchoring her to him. She released a deep sigh of contentment and within moments he felt her body relax as sleep claimed her. His mind whirled for a few moments, thinking about the destinations ahead, before he followed her into blissful slumber.

Pleasant sensations filtered through the fog of Kate's sleep like warm sunbeams. She smiled and allowed herself to drift to the conscious surface. She opened her eyes and was greeted by an amused and playful smile inches from her face. Rick pressed another kiss to her temple.

"You were sleeping pretty soundly there. Almost seemed a shame to wake you."

Kate studied his face. His eyes were growing darker even as she watched. Her lips curled into a feline smile as she asked the question she pretty much knew the answer to already. "Why did you then?"

He spoke softly, tracing her cheek with the back of his hand, then letting his caress drift lower and lower. "Because I just could not wait another moment… to do… this..." He closed the minute distance between them for a kiss. His hand slid under the bottom edge of the satin pajama top, then upward to capture one delightfully warm mound. She moaned as he brushed his fingers back and forth a few times. The sound she made, combined with the way her nipple hardened responsively under his fingertips, were ample reward for his efforts.

He intensified the kiss as the passion surged through him. He was nearly overcome with need for her, with love for her. He wanted to drink her in, breathe her in, so that she would always be a part of him.

She pulled away, panting. As their bodies separated, Rick took advantage of the maneuvering room to quickly release the pearly buttons of her top from their holes. He shifted a bit lower and replaced his hand with his lips, causing her to gasp. He wasted no time putting his now un-occupied hand to good use on her other breast, where a stiff peak formed almost instantly at his touch. She was nearly breathless, head tossing back and forth on the pillow, hands bunching up the sheets. The whimper she released when he stopped made him chuckle.

"All in good time, darling." He sat up and grabbed one of his pillows . "Sit up for a second?"

She complied but gave him a confused look. He slid the pillow behind her and eased her back down with gentle pressure to her shoulder. "There...Comfortable? Good, because this next part is more fun when you watch, and I'd hate for a strained neck to ruin it for you."

He kissed her again, then resumed his position at her torso. When he spoke, his voice took on a silky seductive tone. "Now, then. Astute observer that you are, you've no doubt noticed I have a pattern to my attentions." To illustrate his point, he again brushed his hand across her breast.

"A touch…then a taste…" he whispered before taking it into his mouth, while kneading the other breast. When he shifted to give the other nipple the same loving attention, his free hand drifted down her stomach and beneath the waistband of the loose fitting satin shorts. His eyes flew up to meet hers when he encountered no panties beneath the shorts. "Naughty girl…" he said, with a look that was anything but stern.

She shouldn't have been surprised at his next move, but his intimate caress caused her a jolt of sensation and she couldn't prevent the cry that escaped her lips. His hand shied away from the sensitive area, only to approach it again, this time with a more delicate touch. The result this time was a twitch of her hips, then another. She shifted restlessly, craving more of the contact. His mouth left her nipple, and she shivered as the cool air of the room met the moist flesh. His next words made her shiver even harder in anticipation.

"Touch, then…" He drew the shorts downward, freeing her of them. She held her breath and watched him lower his head to her most sensitive place. The air imprisoned in her lungs was traded for the fresh wave drawn in on her gasp. His tongue played within her folds, and she found herself laughing uncontrollably. Leave it to him to find a way to tickle her _there. _

His hand joined his mouth, multiplying her pleasure not two but tenfold. Words spilled from her lips, affirmations, praise to deities she didn't know she believed in, then finally a long, drawn out "OOHhhhhhh". When the tingling began at the base of her spine, she knew this would be an especially powerful climax, and she pulled the nearest piece of fabric, the corner of the pillow, to her face to muffle the scream she was certain would otherwise shock the people in the neighboring room.

When the tension finally abated, Kate went completely limp. Rick crawled up to lay beside her, taking her in his arms. He kissed her, first gently, then a bit feverishly. He'd answered her need, but not his own, and his body was starting to assert its own control. He rolled over to cover her, his hips shifting against her. To his surprise, he felt her responding. Bracing his weight on his elbows, he sank within her, and she wrapped herself around him in welcome. Owing to her heightened sensitivity and his own arousal, their dance was short lived, and soon both were crying out with release.

Once the newlyweds had regained their strength, they dressed for their day of sightseeing, before heading down to the Tea Salon for breakfast. Finally Kate as able to coerce him into revealing SOME of the plans for the London leg of their trip, by taking the last pastry from the buffet and trading half for the details. They would catch the Underground to Trafalgar Square, where they would catch a classic red double-decker tour bus. Rick had purchased an unlimited all day pass, so they could hop on and off at their whim. He disclosed that in the afternoon they would definitely be stopping at the Tower of London, followed by a cruise up the Thames in a tour boat. The way his voice trailed off piqued Kate's curiosity.

"Then what?" she asked. She was mildly irritated by his cryptic, wholly uninformative response.

"You'll see…"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Kate smoothed her windblown hair, an easy sacrifice to make in exchange for the great view of London from the upper deck of the open topped bus. They had traveled over the famed London Bridge, seen some beautiful old cathedrals before hopping off at Buckingham palace just in time for the changing of the guards. They'd visited the Tate Modern Museum, viewing works of art by Blake and Matisse, and a special exhibit of JMW Turner's works, before having an amazing late lunch in the museum's restaurant, seated at a table by a window overlooking the Thames.

Now they were in a small building within the fortress walls of the Tower of London, shuffling along with the crowd that was filing past the glass display cases protecting the Crown Jewels. The light glinted off the diamonds to dazzling effect. Scepters sat on velvet pillows, fur lined crowns sparkled with gems. Ahead of her, Castle stopped without warning and she bumped into him, then was brushed from behind by the next person in line. She turned to apologize to them, then pivoted and smacked her husband on the arm.

"Castle!" she hissed. "What are you doing? Move it!"

Absently he nodded and hurried forward to fill the gap he had created. They exited the room, earning a stern look from the Beefeater guards on the way out.

Once they were out in the open air, Rick stopped again, but this time he quickly stepped to the side so that Kate could step up beside him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. He watched her face flash confusion, alarm and irritation, all in a few seconds. She patted the hip that had bumped his.

"What's wrong?" he asked, but rather than answer, she spun around, quickly finding her quarry.

She marched up to a young man and grabbed him by the arm. Despite the fact that she was far out of her jurisdiction, her 'police' voice welled up as she exclaimed "YOU stole my wallet!" The man started to protest, but Kate held on while catching the eye of the nearest guard. The uniformed man approached.

"Is there a problem here, Mum?"

"Yes," she snapped, "he bumped into me in the Jewel room and picked my pocket!"

The guard was joined by another as the man continued to protest. The two Tower employees assured the man that he would not be permitted to leave the premises until he has been searched. The search revealed not only Kate's wallet, but those of two other tourists.

After catching a glimpse of Kate's police ID in her wallet, they apologized profusely and thanked her for helping them catch at least one of the pickpockets that had been plaguing the attraction.

Returning to Rick's side, she took in his amused look. "You want to know what's really funny?" he asked. "The moment where I stopped in my tracks, I was thinking about my friend Powell and how he might pull off a jewel heist there."

"How is that funny?"

"My musings about robbers actually gave you the opportunity to catch one!"

When they left the Tower, they headed down to the pier. They took their seats on the tour boat and enjoyed the early evening sunshine. They disembarked at the next pier, where they saw Big Ben and Parliament. Rick then led her across the bridge toward the London Eye, an enormous ferris wheel looking structure, with large oblong glass bubbles in place of standard cars.. Kate craned her neck to look up at it as they approached. "Boy, I bet the view from there is something else."

He followed her gaze and tilted his head to the side, considering. When he looked back at her, his smirk was unmistakably triumphant. "We'll find out soon enough."

She whirled on him. "NO. Really?"

He nodded, smiling at the wonder in her eyes. This was the expression that made it all worth it. "I've arranged for a private capsule with two flights back to back. We'll enjoy the sunset while drinking champagne and eating canapes then watch the city lights twinkle."

Kate reached up and pulled him down for a kiss. "I love you so much…" she whispered once she broke away.

"I love you too. Now let's go, we'll be late." They reached the gate and Rick pulled the passes out of his pocket to show to the gate tender. He stepped aside and pointed them toward the express line. In short order they boarded and were greeted by a smiling hostess holding a magnum of champagne.

"Welcome to the London Eye! Honeymooners?" she asked, noting their intertwined fingers. When they nodded, she smiled wider. "Then we'll be sure to toast to a new happy couple." An attendant in an apron stepped aboard and placed a tray of snacks on the bench, then hurried out as the doors closed. For the next 15 minutes, the capsule ascended, while Kate and Rick slowly walked around the perimeter of the pod, looking up, down, and all around, taking in every detail. At the moment it had reached its pinnacle over 400 feet in the air, they heard a loud pop. They accepted flutes of champagne from the hostess, and stood with their arms around one another's waists as the hostess offered a toast.

"Surely you folks would like your picture taken?" She accepted the camera and snapped a photo of them with the sunset stained skyline as a backdrop. She then retreated to the other side of the capsule to allow them a private moment, which Rick gratefully capitalized on. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So, Mrs. Castle…" he murmured in her ear, before giving it a nip. "Having a good time so far?"

Kate let her eyes drift closed for a moment, before resuming her appreciation of the glittering Thames below. "Mmm-Hmm".

As the sky darkened to cobalt then navy blue, the capsule rose again and Kate felt as if she could see to infinity. She turned in his arms for another kiss.

The hostess cleared her throat to get their attention. "Thank you for riding the London Eye. Enjoy the rest of your visit!"

They caught a taxi back to the hotel, since it was after 10:30 at night. The next morning, Kate declared that a more sedate pace was in order, so that they could recover from their packed previous day.

"Ok…I think I've got just the thing." Rick allowed. They traveled to Chelsea and were taken on a tour of various English gardens. They strolled hand in hand through rows of rose bushes and mazes of hedges. Sitting on a bench by a Koi pond in a Japanese garden, they breathed in the heady floral scents around them.

"So what's the plan for lunch?" Kate asked.

"Well…you know how I was into those cooking reality shows? I got reservations to Foxtrot Oscar's! Seriously! It's one of the first things I booked when I planned this trip, because you need major advanced notice." He was bouncing a little as he broke his news, but his face fell when she just stared back cluelessly. "No, Kate, come on. You can't really be in the dark, can you? Gordon Ramsay? The guy is like a legend. Ads for his shows are on billboards, for crying out loud."

"Gotcha!" she grinned. "Of course I know about him, Madison filled me in."

After a sumptuous lunch of cauliflower soup followed by smoked haddock for Kate and chicken liver parfait and roast duck for Rick, they settled into their seats at the Royal Court Theater to enjoy a matinee.

When the play was over, they headed back to the hotel to pack and catch their next flight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Rick watched Kate yawn and shift her carryon to the other shoulder. He debated asking, again, if she'd like him to carry it for her. The tone with which she'd responded to his last offer suggested it might be prudent to keep his mouth shut. Still, maybe by now she had changed her mind. If she had, she was far too stubborn to admit it. He could just take the bag from her. She would either think him gallant or a caveman. She solved his dilemma by shifting the bag down to her feet.

"Just how many of these international travel security checkpoints will I be enduring?"

He smiled at her cleverly concealed inquiry. "How many times have I asked you to stop fishing for details? Can't you just relax and be surprised?"

"I'm a cop. We like to have all of the information available to us."

He opened his mouth to reply but was spared from having to reveal anything by the security agent waving them forward. Once they had cleared the checkpoint, Castle stalled for a bit, adjusting his shoes, his belt, putting his phone and wallet away. He glanced up as he zipped his laptop into its case. She was plotting his demise, he could tell, so clearly the bit was getting old. Without further delay, he checked his boarding pass, then offered her his hand and made straight for their gate.

"British Airways flight 2722, Nice? We're going to France?"

He nodded, pleased at the excited note to her voice. "We're going to spend three days at the beautiful Chateau Eza, in the village of Eze. It's half way between Nice and Monaco." He pulled out his phone and called up a photo of palm trees and a gorgeous blue ocean. "A touch of the tropics, right in Europe."

They boarded their flight without incident and settled into their first class seats. Kate ordered a cocktail and was asleep on his shoulder before the ice had begun to melt. Rick met the eye of the flight attendant, and she delivered a blanket wordlessly. He rested his head against Kate's and surrendered to a nap of his own.

They landed in Nice three hours later. From there they obtained a taxi. "Chateau Eza" he instructed the driver. The older man nodded and guided his car up the mountain road to the village.

It was fairly late when they arrived, so they had to use the red phone extension provided to summon a host. They were shown to their room, where a bottle of champagne awaited them on the table beside the fireplace. In the bathroom, a bottle of bath oil sat on the rim of the tub, beside a candle with the same scent. After unpacking, Rick turned back the bedspread and climbed in, beckoning his wife to join him. She turned away from the window, where she had been admiring the lights of the neighboring towns draped along the mountainside. "I can't wait to see the view in the morning."

She slid in next to him, watching the corner of his mouth twitch. Before she could ask, he voluntarily shared what he was thinking. "Why _do _you bother putting these pajamas on, when you know taking them off you just slows me down?"

Slyly she grinned. "Why, darling, you've just answered your own question. I'm teaching you the value of anticipation."

"Really, now. Let's see then, what can I teach you? Ahhh I know." He left their bed to retrieve the champagne from the table plus a couple of towels from the bathroom. He pushed her pajama top up, then rolled the towels and placed one on either side of her waist. "Mustn't make a mess, you know." As he opened the champagne, he looked down at her. "I think I'll teach you…that sensory delights can come from some very unusual places."

He knelt beside the bed and slowly poured the champagne onto her stomach. She sucked in a breath at the shock of the cold liquid, which caused a little pool to form. The bubbles forming on her skin tickled her, and she giggled, causing the puddle to bounce. He drank the champagne out of the shallow depression, then took a corner of the towel to dry the rest. He poured a little in his palm, then helped her sit up and offered her a drink from his hand. They continued, taking turns and getting a little tipsy, to the point where she suggested that they reverse roles for the tummy treatment. Before long silliness gave way to raw desire, and they came together in the way that only a couple deeply in love can do.

Afterwards, it was Kate who left their bed. Rick heard a faint squeak, followed by splashing. When the bath was ready, she came back and led him to the tub. He got in, then she stepped over the tub wall and settled herself in the vee of his legs. She leaned forward and retrieved the natural sponge and French milled soap from the small tray that bridged the tub. When the sponge was good and lathered up, she handed it backwards to him.

"Pretty presumptuous, don't you think? Am I your personal valet now?" Kate didn't have to see his face to know he wore his classic 'raised eyebrow' smirk.

She traced a little pattern on his knee with her fingernails. "You got me dirty, so _you _ can get me clean again."

"Oh, Kate, when will you learn that co-ed bathing is one of the dirtiest activities imaginable?" By way of demonstration, he drew circles around her breasts with the sponge, leaving a swirling trail of bubbles. He continued up to her neck, then back down the other side, pausing only long enough to transfer the sponge to the other hand. Under the water, he swept the sponge back and forth across her stomach, then down the outside of her thigh. By then the soap had pretty well been rinsed out of the sponge, so he brought it up to her neck and squeezed the water out, rinsing her. He kissed her shoulder and the sponge came bobbing to the surface in front of them, forgotten, before taking on water and slowly sinking.

His hands traveled over every inch of her, above and below the water, while his mouth played along her shoulders, neck and ears. When his fingers found their way into her sensitive crease, she arched and pressed her back into his chest. He teased her, speeding and slowing, while she moaned and shifted.

With one of his arms across her chest, playing with her nipples, the other in her lap, he had effectively turned himself into a human cage for her. Never had she had more fun being imprisoned. When his long fingers stretched to pull her breasts together so that he could actually fondle both at once, she thought she would die from sensual overload.

Rick could feel her trembling as his erotic attentions became too much for her to bear. Using the understanding of her body that he had cultivated over many months, he increased the pressure in just the right spots and sent her flying over the edge with a joyous cry.

As she came back to herself she heard him whisper in her ear:"Happy honeymoon, darling."

Kate regarded Rick across the table where their breakfast was arranged. A warm Mediterranean breeze ruffled her hair, and she sighed contentedly as she surveyed the view from the balcony off their room. Swallowing a bite of croissant, (which had spoiled her so badly she swore off all such baked goods from major coffee chains) she asked "So, what's on today's itinerary? More museums, maybe skydiving?"

He gasped in wonder. "You would have agreed to a jump?" When she shook her head he chuckled. "Thought not. Darling, today we have an exciting day of…" he drummed his fingers on the table, tipping a juice glass. He fumbled for his napkin and cleaned up the drippy mess. "What was I saying?"

Exasperated, Kate glared at him. "Castle, out with it, before I kick you in the shin and force you to spend the day _limping._"

"Okay, okay. We are going…to the beach."

Kate wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. So far he had arranged blockbuster days. It seemed he was reading her mind when he continued.

"I figured we could use a day of relaxation, and this hotel comes with rights to a private beach. When it gets too hot, we can go do some shopping." He finished his statement innocently, which make Kate all the more suspicious.

"You want to go shopping?"

"More accurately, I want to take YOU shopping." He gulped a little as her eyes narrowed.

"You might as well accept the idea right now…" he coaxed. "You and I both know that I am not above shopping FOR you, but I would much rather do it WITH you. Kate, we are in France, fashion capitol of the world. The guys might think I've lost my mind, insisting on a purchasing adventure, but I have a feeling this is the one place we can finally find some clothing that does that gorgeous body of yours justice. Speaking of which…" He jumped up and vanished into their room, returning with a small gift bag.

"What's this?" she asked, wary. What could have occurred in his brain to connect either 'clothing' or 'her body' to this little parcel? She poked at the tissue paper, then fished around inside and let her fingers latch onto fabric. She withdrew her hand with the cloth wrapped around it. She saw as she unfolded it that it was black with gold accents. She turned it this way and that, willing her brain to make sense of what she was holding. "Underwear" she concluded. "Very sexy, thank you." She leaned over to give him a kiss, but his expression had her falling back into her chair. It was a blend of amusement and caution. "What?"

"Swimsuit" he corrected.

"No, see, this _can't _be a swimsuit, because _you_ said you wouldn't do that."

"Actually, what I said, was that I _will not_ purchase a suit. By then I had already done it, so technically I was being truthful."

She shook out the tissue paper, but did not locate the top half. "You should check your suitcase, then, because some of it is missing." She intentionally played 'dumb' on this point. As soon as she found out they were headed for this part of France, she suspected he might want to try something like this. Truth be told, she harbored a secret, _very _secret wish to try a topless beach someday. However, she needed to fight him on it anyway, because if he figured out that she would have gone willingly, she'd never hear the end of it from him.

"Actually, no. It's not. Missing, that is." He'd been full of bravado when he bought the skimpy bikini, then intentionally left the top behind in New York. Actually, he'd been full of a lot of things, especially when he envisioned his Kate clad only in the revealing bottom. But now…now she was just shaking her head at him, and his self preservation governor was cautioning him that this might not have been such a good idea after all. Grateful that he had subtly moved her knife out of reach when he had put the bag beside her plate, he told the little warning voice to shut up as he laid out all of the argument points he had thought of.

"Now, Kate, hear me out. It's the French Riviera. Going topless is commonplace. It's accepted. No one is going to look twice at you, because you will be in the majority. Ok, so maybe a few might look, after all, you are breathtaking. But no one knows you here. Hell, not that many people know ME here. It's not like you will have to worry about looking at them next week and wondering if they are having flashbacks. Oh and for what it's worth, you won't have to wonder about me, either, because I will most assuredly be having them. In fact," he brightened, now hopeful, "You could consider it a present to me…"

She glared at him, but he seized on the idea and continued. "Do you have any idea how turned on I'll be, knowing that you're the envy of the beach, and you are all _mine?_ "

"Ok, first of all, this is where the beautiful people come. Somehow I doubt that *I* am going to be the envy of anyone. Second, do YOU have any idea how uncomfortable you're going to be, if you'll really be in that state all day? I hope you brought baggy swim trunks."

He shook his head, not willing to be deterred. "It will be well worth it. I'll be storing all that up, for when I can get you alone again." Rick could tell he was getting to her, the way her cheeks flushed while she contemplated that. But she was still on the fence, and he was force to play his last card. He looked her squarely in the eye and uttered what he believed were the winning words. "I…Dare…You…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello, dear reader. Thank you for checking out another chapter! For all of you who put me/my story on your Alert and Favorite lists, thank you thank you thank you. I get SO excited when I see emails like that. On with the show...

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Half an hour later, they were downstairs in the lobby, wearing their beach clothes under shorts and…well, neither actually had swimwear under their shirts. Rick addressed the clerk behind the front desk. "Pardon" he began, in perfectly accented French. "On a besoin de transportation a la… plage." He slid a glance sideways at Kate, who was actually standing with her mouth hanging open. After the desk clerk nodded and hurried off to fulfill Castle's request, he reached out and gently pressed her chin upward.

"Don't look so shocked. It's a necessity, when you travel as I do, to learn how to ask to have transportation arranged. I can do it in at least half a dozen languages. That, and 'where's the bathroom'." He winked at her and reached for her hand. He glanced out the large windows and noted a car with the Chateau logo rolling to a stop in front of the doors.

"Impressive response time…"he murmured.

"Monsieur ? Votre voiture est arrivée," said the clerk, gesturing to the car.

"Merci."

They walked hand in hand to the car, where the driver extended his hand to assist Kate. She shifted her beach bag to the other hand, put her indignant feminist persona on mute and graciously thanked him, allowing him to assist her into the car. Rick followed and looked at her, incredulous.

"Amazing. You'll take help from a total stranger, but not from me!" he pouted.

"It's a cultural thing, and besides, _he's _not the one withholding information from me."

They chatted with the driver, Jean, once they discovered that like many in the hospitality industry, he had been given English classes as part of his job training. When they arrived at their destination, Kate stepped out eagerly, gasping at the gorgeous, vibrant azure of the sea that stretched before her. Eventually she noticed that Rick had not followed her, but rather, was engrossed in some conversation with Jean. She looked over her shoulder, deciding that if he was up to more plotting, she'd indulge in some pre-emptive payback.

"RICHARD!"

His head snapped up at Kate's tone. She never, ever EVER called him _that_. That was reserved for his mother and Meredith, both of whom managed to turn it into a combination of scold and swear. Kate had perfected that admirably.

He kept his eyes on her, waiting to find out what he had done to merit that tone. She stood with her hands on her hips.

"There are NO topless people here!"

Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling, she watched him grow pale, craning his neck around her and Jean. Even the driver turned around, his brows knitting in confusion.

"What? Really?"

"No….Gotcha!"

"Ohhhhhhhhh…" He growled at her. "Just you wait, _Katie."_

He shook Jean's hand and scooped up his own beach bag, stocked with sunscreen, a change of clothes, and the outrageously fluffy towel provided by the hotel. They ventured onto the soft sand and selected thick-cushioned chaise lounges with an umbrella nearby. He made quick work of shucking his t-shirt and cargo shorts. It turned out his bathing suit was of the form fitting variety. It was possible, Kate mused with a bit of a lascivious grin, that she'd be the envy of the beach in more ways than one.

He fished in his bag and found the bottle of sunscreen, slathering himself while standing in the shade of the umbrella. When he was finished, he looked expectantly at her.

She'd been watching him carefully, impressed so far by his lack of gawking. She had already surveyed the beach and discovered that though there were a few women with bathing suit tops, most were nude to the waist. She accepted the bottle of lotion he offered.

"I'll do your back if you'll do mine." He turned his back as he said this, so he didn't see the discomfort on her face. Yes, she had accepted his dare, and he wasn't likely to let her live it down if she went back on her agreement, particularly since it would mean spending her beach time in her shirt. It was just that now that the moment had arrived, she had lost some of her confidence. She concentrated on rubbing the sun block into Rick's back.

When she was finished, murmuring "All done", she turned her attention to her own legs. Next she hunched forward and applied some of the lotion to her chest under the blouse. It was more prone to sunburn, even though she had dared to indulge in topless sunbathing once or twice at their Hamptons house. She glanced up once, to catch the crestfallen look on Rick's face.

"I can see that you were hoping to help me with this part, too." At his eager nod, she shook her head gently and dropped her voice to a murmur. "First of all, I can reach my chest just fine. Second, this beach is not THAT private, and I think we might actually strain the limits of what Europeans consider proper public behavior." Eventually she was done, bringing her to the moment of truth.

Rick watched her hesitantly fiddling with the buttons on her blouse. He sensed that his verbal input would not be welcome at the moment. Finally she released one button, then another and another, until she was bared. He smiled at her, taking the lotion from her and coating her back. "Okay" he declared. "Time for a swim." He decided that she needed to be distracted from her discomfort, and he had the perfect solution. He picked her up and strode toward the water.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I just told you, time to…get wet." The warm Mediterranean water lapped at his ankles, then his shins, then his knees, as he went deeper and deeper. She struggled, squealing.

"I can get there on my own."

"Oh but my darling, this is a full service honeymoon. And by the way, if you're looking to attract attention to yourself, shriek a little louder." Finally when he was in above his waist, and her bottom was skimming the sea surface, he gave her a wicked grin. "Well, you're a little wet, might as well go all the way." With no further warning, he bent his knees and dropped them both below the surface. Only then did he let go.

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, because it was fun, not to mention revenge for your little gotcha earlier. But the second reason was to take your mind off your shyness, while giving you the chance to ease into this. Or out of it, as the case may be. You can stay under the water, concealed, for as long as you want, until you get more used to the idea."

She sat down on the sandy bottom, in water up to her neck. He sat next to her, pulling her into his lap. She swiveled so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. He pulled her down for a kiss, pressing her up against him. This move served to intensify his arousal, and she could feel the change immediately. She blinked down at him, and he grinned sheepishly. "Told you."

For a few moments, he shared her aversion to standing up. After they talked for a while, they both decided they needed to relax. She stood up slowly, watching only him. He rose to stand beside her, and hand-in-hand they headed to their chosen lounge chairs. They sunned themselves for a while, then threw their shirts on and headed to the beach-side café for lunch.

They shared a plate of asparagus and goat cheese spring rolls with a roasted red pepper dip. Next it was shrimp kabobs for her and a lamb gyro for him. They split a lemon frozen yogurt for dessert. As Rick was finishing his last spoonful, he jerked his head in the direction of the bath house.

"We should go get cleaned up and ready…"

"Ready for what?" she asked suspiciously.

"I told you this morning. Shopping."

Realizing she'd played her stubborn card already, she merely nodded.

When she returned from the bath house in a pastel floral top and white shorts, Rick had to suppress a cough. The outfit was so much more care-free and girly than he was used to seeing on her. He had a good feeling that maybe she would be more open minded than normal during their shopping trip.

Kate caught him appraising her, and gave him a once over of her own. She nodded approvingly at the denim shorts he had paired with a white short sleeved button down, accented with a plaid-like pattern in a blue that matched his eyes.

A honking horn drew her attention away, and she could see Jean waving at them from a navy blue sedan. Once they were settled in the back seat, Jean drove them west, using coastal roads for as long as he could, until he reached Nice. He dropped them off in the heart of the shopping district, promising to return for them in a few hours.

They strolled down Avenue Jean Medecin. Rick kept a careful eye on Kate, watching for signs of interest as she looked at the displays in various shops. He sensed that getting her here was as much strong-arming as she would tolerate from him. When her gaze lingered over the mannequins in the window of Galleries Lafayette Nice Massena, he held his breath. She glanced at him, hesitant. He nodded reassuringly and strode forward to open the door for her.

They made their way to the women's department. Kate bit her lip and turned in a slow circle. Deciding that she might feel more comfortable without him breathing down her neck, Rich approached her.

"I'll tell you what…" he whispered in her ear. "I'm going to go check out the men's department. Be back in…twenty minutes?" She nodded absently.

When he returned she was just emerging from the changing room, looking around uncertainly. At the sound of his whistle, her head came around and she blushed. She inspected her reflection in the full length mirror. She'd found a smartly tailored dark gray suit, but the purple blouse she wore with it made for a look that was far from drab. She smiled at him and held up a "just a minute" finger. She disappeared into the recesses of the dressing room and returned in a tan dress, a red scarf around her neck, and oversized sunglasses perched atop her head.

"Which do you think?" she asked.

"Both, of course. Silly woman." He was careful to make his tone playful, not condescending.

She hesitated, but she really did like both outfits. Grudgingly she nodded, and before she had a chance to change her mind, Rick had the apparel paid for and packaged. He added the shopping bags to his own, bearing the handful of shirts and ties he had indulged in.

On the way out, Rick paused at a lingerie display, taking in the collection of colors that seemed to have been liberated from a bucket of rainbow sherbet. He crossed to where the deeper jewel-toned hues graced the walls. His gaze was drawn to a mannequin garbed in a bluish purple gown. The top was a halter of Brazilian lace. Stitched to it was an expanse of a matching colored mesh that loosely fit the definition of a 'skirt', given that it was slit right up to the bottom of the halter. Oh yes, that would do nicely.

He turned to regard Kate. "May I?" Shocked that once again he was asking permission, she raised an eyebrow. He hastily continued. "Not that your collection isn't impressive already, but I would love nothing better than to see you dressed in this, _for me_."

The throaty way he ended his request had her blushing all over again. When he phrased it like that, how could she possibly deny him, or herself for that matter. Nodding, she wordlessly found the correct size and pressed the hanger into his hand.

Jean picked them up later at the pre-arranged time and place, returning them and all of their parcels to the Chateau. Surprisingly, Kate had loosened up after the first store, and she made a few more selections with far less hesitance. That evening they dined in the five star restaurant downstairs, Kate in her new dress, Rick in one of his new shirts.

Afterwards they had their appointments for his-and-her relaxation massages. They lay on parallel tables, facing one another. At first, neither of them found it particularly relaxing, watching their partner being attended to by a person of the opposite sex. Each tried to stifle their pleasured moans, lest the other feel jealous. Somehow, though, they came to silent mutual agreement to enjoy it, and each began to make mental notes about what felt good, so that they might repeat it with each other at some later point.

The next couple of days flew by. They spent time at the beach and exploring the village. Thanks to a generous tip or two, Jean had essentially become their personal chauffeur, and he showed them views not normally experienced by tourists. Too soon they were packing for their next leg. They had had to purchase an extra suitcase for their new clothing.

Jean met them in the lobby and carried their luggage out to the car. He set off, again following coastal roads. Kate looked around, confused, when she saw he was not headed to the airport. "Where's he going?" she asked. Rick refused to comment, preferring to let the surprise reveal itself, and surprised she was when Jean pulled to a stop at the boarding ramp of a rather large cruise ship.

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**_So, off they go on another leg of their journey. Thank you for reading so far. Now please take 30 more seconds to hit the "review" button and tell me what you thought? Pretty Please?_**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Thank you to all who have reviewed, favorited or alerted so far. It's very flattering. Hope you enjoy this chapter._**

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Rick secured the services of a baggage porter with a trolley. The uniformed man led them to their stateroom and unloaded their luggage for them. Kate moved past the king sized bed with the crisp white sheets and dark blue spread to the doors of their private veranda, taking in the view. Rick, for his part, preferred the view of his wife, silhouetted, gorgeous and completely speechless**.**

He moved up behind her and flicked the lock on the sliding door, urging her out onto the little porch that was all theirs. He ushered her to the rail and stood with his hands on either side of her, nuzzling her neck. "Happy Honeymoon, Mrs. Castle."

She turned in his arms and placed her palm on his cheek. Her eyes roamed his face. Clearing the lump out of her throat, she softly kissed him. "I didn't think this trip could get any more amazing. Thank you, sweetheart. Now…_exactly _what am I thanking you for? Where are we headed?" He remained mute, giving only one of his Cheshire cat grins.

"C'mon Castle, if you don't tell me, I can easily find out from ANYONE else on this ship. Which will make me look like a moron, thank you very much." She turned her voice into a squeaky parody. "Umm, I'm stuck on this boat, can you tell me where it's going?" When he still did not break his silence, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Unless you were planning to imprison me here, which would be the only way to prevent me from speaking to the others."

He took on a mock-evil look of contemplation at that, rubbing his chin. "I could, finally, exact my revenge on you, for tying me up during our FIRST weekend together." He traced her jaw with his finger, moving close to her. He lowered his voice and his eyelids all at once. "Then I could make love to you until you passed out from sheer exhaustion…"

Despite herself, she shivered with delight at the image he was painting. And he felt it. "Tell you what…" he whispered. "We'll save that plan for some other time. I'd hate for you to sleep through your honeymoon."

Finally acknowledging the fact that it was no longer possible to keep their destination a secret, at least this part of it, he pulled out his phone and thumbed through his emails until he got to the confirmation from the travel agency. Her eyes widening, she stared up at him. "You've gotta be kidding. Castle, what have you done? This is going to fill up my passport!"

"Oh, and that's the big tragedy here?" he teased her. Seeing that she was still reeling in surprise, he figured he'd found the perfect moment to make his request. Licking his lips, he began. "Kate? I've got something to ask of you…"

She looked at him, wary, yet knowing that given the lengths and expense he had gone to for her so far, there was precious little she would deny him. Still, that didn't mean she wasn't going to play with him a little. "Yes?" she responded slowly.

"You didn't by any chance bring that little blue Legere dress with you, did you? The one you wore to the Heat Wave release party?"

Kate stared at him. She wasn't really surprised he knew designers, with his mother and daughter around. She was slightly more surprised that he remembered what she had worn to a party a few years ago, but then he'd stared at her long enough, he probably pretty much memorized her. But what an odd thing to be so hesitant about.

"As a matter of fact I did. Why?" she asked, equally cautious.

"There's something I'd like us to do, sort of as a present to me…"

"I thought that's what the topless beach was all about…" she replied, still smiling, but folding her arms.

'_Crap, did I use my bargaining chip on that already?' _he thought. "Uhh well…You see the first port of call on the list? Tonight?"

"Monte Carlo, uh huh?" Kate had an inkling of where he was going with this, but there had to be more to it for him to be this hesitant.

"Yes. Known the world over for its casinos. It's been a dream of mine to play in one of their poker tournaments. And there's one tonight…"

She nodded, following so far. It wasn't the most romantic way to spend an evening, but hell, if it was going to make him happy, he deserved that. "Honey, that's fine, I'll just..." Well, she wasn't sure what she'd do by herself, maybe check out one of the shows. She enjoyed playing with him, but she sensed he'd rather be the only Castle at the table. He did say 'like _us_ to do', though, didn't he?

"See, that's the thing…I was hoping…well…" he pressed his lips together, pausing. "I was hoping that Katya would come and be my lucky charm?"

So he was having some sort of odd little James Bond fantasy… "Let me see if I have this straight. You want me to role play in front of a bunch of strangers."

He swallowed and nodded, then tensed, waiting. She'd never actually slapped him, but there was a first time for everything. To his utter shock, she threw back her head and laughed with delight. "Well I never considered taking the act on the road, but…" she moved back into his embrace and turned on the accent, "who am I to deny my strong, handsome Reechard his leetle games, eh?"

He grinned broadly. "Thank you, my love."

When she spoke again, she had switched back to her normal voice. "Now, let's unpack and then get some rest. It's going to be a long night."

"Yeah," Rick agreed, "Those games can run really late."

"Ok, then, that's two reasons to be well rested." She winked at him, grabbing his behind.

* * *

They fell asleep curled together in the huge bed, but when Rick awoke, he found he was alone. The curtains to the balcony were closed and the bedside lamp glowed softly. Kate was seated at the combination vanity/writing table, putting the finishing touches on her make-up. She had applied it more heavily than normal, ostensibly as a means of getting into the role of Katya. His eyes followed the neckline of the dress, down the deep vee that barely kept her cleavage contained. Her eyes shifted from her own reflection to his.

"Hey, sleepyhead. Better get ready." Before he could reply that he was ready, but not for poker, a voice over the public address system informed them that transportation to the casinos on shore would be available in one half hour. Castle shook himself and bounded out of bed.

In response to the announcement, they gathered with the others who were going ashore. Rick had gone with the black velvet jacket that she adored on him. They traveled arm in arm down the covered walkway to the waiting stretch limousine, which whisked them and three other couples to the Sun Casino, where the poker tournament was to take place. Kate tried to keep the look of wonder to a minimum as she took in the ornately carved molding of the building. Inside, the place was decorated like a circus.

They were shown to a function room with half a dozen poker tables. Rick draped his suit jacket over the back of a chair as a waitress took his drink order. The waitress, Jacqueline, according to her nametag, turned to Kate, her stylus poised over the touch pad where she entered her orders. Kate bit back a smirk, rejecting 'vodka' and 'White Russian' as too hokey, given what she was about to do. "_Krasnoye..." _she shook her head, making a visible effort to shift gears. "Red vine, plez"she said, rolling her 'r' and deliberately mispronouncing the 'w'. She made eye contact with Rick as he did business with the cashier. He smiled his gratitude at her, and his eyes held just a touch of lust.

They moved as a unit from table to table as the competitors were eliminated one by one. Rick sipped on expensive scotch, while Kate had another glass of red wine two hours after the first. She sat over his right shoulder and said little, except to murmur words of encouragement to him between hands. In response to this, he would swivel in his chair and rest his hand on her knee, stroking it with his thumb. During a stretch break he stood beside her, growing bold enough to brush a hand across her bottom. She grinned at him and folded her hand over his, discretely pinching the webbing between his thumb and forefinger until he flinched subtly, his eyes full of apology.

When it was down to the final table, Kate began to pick up on something. The big man in the bolo tie with the large bushy moustache traded looks with Jacqueline once too many times for Kate's liking. No one normally paid attention to the wait staff; unobtrusive was pretty much in the job description, but this one…her hand seem to linger on his wrist just a tad longer than necessary when she passed him a drink. Kate kept her face impassive, while wracking her brain. The eyes in the sky should be catching this, but they would be looking for things between players, or between the players and their escorts. What should she do? The first thing was to clue her husband in.

During the next break, she sidled up close to him, appearing to nuzzle him so that she could whisper in his ear. "Vatch out, I tink chips are stacked against you, eh?"

He drew back, searching her eyes. "You mean the waitress and walrus man?" He chuckled at the flash of disappointment that dimmed the sparkling green ever so slightly. "Honey, you should know by now, I don't miss a trick, and I mean that literally."

She smiled with him, shaking her head. "Da, I should. It's why ve make such excellent partners. Okay, time to go have chat vit _bolshoi brat_, yes?" At his confused look, she clarified, very subtly pointing to the cameras mounted in the ceiling. "Big brother, he always watches."

Venturing out to the main casino floor, she glanced around, looking for someone in authority. Seeing someone with the spiral corded ear bud that was a hallmark of security, she approached. "Excuse me please, may I speak vit manager?"

She was ushered into an office, where a dark haired man greeted her. "I am Pierre. How may I be of service, Detective Beckett?" Kate was stunned. She had not identified herself in any way.

"How did you…?" She was interrupted by his waving hand.

"We make it our business to get to know our guests. Mr. Castle has achieved notoriety, even on this side of the pond. His wedding in Scotland was detailed in a recent news article. The article did not, however, mention that his bride was of Russian origin…"

At that, she opted to drop the accent, and waved her hand dismissively. "I'm not. It's just a bit of theater, for our own amusement. However, that brings me to the reason I sought you out. It seems there is more acting going on that you are not aware of."

"You are referring, of course, to the waitress at your table? Yes, we suspect something as well. When we have enough information, she will be terminated and he will be barred from our casino. Thank you for your vigilance, though."

An idea formed in Kate's mind. "I think Mr. Castle and I might be able to help." Thinking of Rick, she smiled. He wanted James Bond, he was going to get it.

After outlining her plan to Pierre, she returned to her seat. When there was another break, she trailed her finger along Rick's ear, then whispered what she had worked out with the manager.

His eyes were alight with excitement when he turned to look at her. "Really?" he asked, too eager and far too loud.

"_Tikho! _Quiet!" He nodded, composing himself. When the game resumed, he threw the next two hands, then waited until Jacqueline was in earshot to complain to Kate about his rotten luck. He headed to the bathroom right after, and was not surprised to find the waitress at the men's room door when he emerged.

"Pardon, Monsieur, but I could not help but overhear. Perhaps if your luck were to improve, it would put you in a more…generous mood?"

"That it would, but Lady Luck is fickle. Why?" he asked with a charming smile, thinking that this one time, Kate would forgive him for flirting. "Do you have her ear somehow?"

"Oui, I have a way to persuade her."

"Go on." He urged Jacqueline to outline how she would tip him off to what the other players held, using a series of squeezes and touches. His wrist tingled where she demonstrated, and he was relieved when he saw Kate approaching, even though she appeared to be seething.

"Vat are you doing vit this _girl_, Reechard?"

He pulled his hand out of her grasp. "Darling! Jacqueline here was just explaining how she's going to help me cheat!" He made no effort to keep his voice low, and the waitress blanched with alarm.

"_Non,_ this is not what I said!" she protested.

Holding her eye, Rick extracted the micro recorder from his pocket. "Really, are you sure about that?" He handed it to Kate, who in turn handed it to Pierre, just coming up behind Jacqueline.

"_Merci, Monsieur _Castle._" _Pierre pocketed the recorder and gave instructions to two of his security team, handing Jacqueline off to them. He picked up Kate's hand and brushed his lips across the knuckles. "_Madame _Castle, a pleasure."

He followed them back to the tournament table, where he bent and had a quiet word with the gentleman whose ethics were now in question. 'Walrus man' went from red to maroon as Pierre spoke, then stood and gathered his personal belongings. He began to collect his chips but a firm look from Pierre stilled his hand.

Pierre sat and quickly counted out the chips. By now Rick and Kate had resumed their seats and wore matching nonchalant looks. The manager addressed all of the remaining players. "Ladies and gentlemen, The Sun wishes to extend its sincere apologies. Since it is impossible to determine what the outcome of the tournament would have been had it not been for this most regrettable incident, I believe dividing the chips equally among you is the most reasonable course of action." Heads nodded around the table.

Rick resumed the game and actually finished second. He turned to the victor, a petite Japanese man, and the two exchanged a respectful bow. The cashier presented both with their prize money. Kate and Rick played a couple of slot machines for fun until the limousine arrived to take them back to the cruise ship.

They had the car to themselves, and Kate opted to take advantage of the privacy that the darkness provided. She put her hand on Rick's knee and slid it up his thigh. When she reached his lap, she found (she smirked to herself) solid evidence of the effect she was having on him.

* * *

They had barely set foot in their stateroom when Rick pounced. He picked her up and swung her around. "That tournament was so much fun!" He set her on her feet but kept his arms around her. He looked down with eyes so full of love that Kate was nearly overwhelmed. "Thank you..." he said, his voice husky with sincerity. His lips met hers for a kiss that stole her breath. He continued to kiss her as his hands roamed her body, tracing all of her curves. Soon it wasn't enough for either of them. His hands found her zipper as she released his shirt buttons. He let out a growl when he found that her raised arms were keeping him from lowering her dress. The sound surprised her into pausing, and with more tenderness than he thought he was capable of at the moment, he slid the dress off her. She made quick work of the last button, and he rolled his shoulders to be free of both the shirt and the jacket.

They embraced again, enjoying the sensation of fevered skin pressing together. Knowing what he needed, she maneuvered them both over to the bed, pushing him down to the mattress. He carried her with him, and she wriggled up so that she was straddling him. She bent to kiss him, intertwining his fingers with hers and pinning his hands to the bed. She teased and tormented him, kissing and nibbling while holding him in place, preventing him from returning the favor. She knew he was a willing prisoner, for even with gravity on her side, it wouldn't require much effort on his part to lift her off him.

Eventually she was aware of her own discomfort, caused by rubbing against his belt buckle. She shifted her weight and he seized the opportunity to flip them both over. He expertly relieved her of her remaining clothing, then did the same for himself. When he returned to her, she was open and welcoming, and he buried himself in her. They clung to one another and scaled the heights of ecstasy together, drifting into bliss afterward.

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**_Thanks for reading! Please leave a review, I really DO appreciate hearing from you!_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Another day, another location. Thanks to myboygeorge for "feeding" me some information about the pastry shop._**

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Kate was awakened by the sound of Rick's gurgling stomach. Chuckling, she trailed a hand down his chest to rub the noisy area. He moaned lightly in his sleep. She began to tickle him, causing him to swat her hand away. Finally he rubbed his eyes and rolled over, blinking at her. "What?"

"You're hungry. Your stomach told me so."

"So it would seem that breakfast is in order. We dock in Cannes later this afternoon, so how about we relax until then, maybe check out the pool?"

Kate agreed that it was a solid plan. They ventured into one of the restaurants to partake of a brunch buffet. After sampling eggs, meats, and pastries, along with juice and coffee, they sat back, content. When they were headed up to their room, Kate pulled away. "Meet you at the pool? I want to go get a magazine or something."

Which was true, partly, but mostly she wanted the element of surprise, for once. She did head into the gift shop and browsed through the magazines. On impulse she picked up Cosmo, figuring there might be some bedroom tips, some technique not already in her repertoire. She wasn't about to let him see her reading it, though, or she'd never hear the end. She opted for a novel for her poolside reading. Surely he wouldn't give her too much grief for diving into the latest Patterson book, the men were, after all, friends.

Up in their stateroom, she was satisfied to see that Rick had already come and gone. She sat down and flipped through the magazine. There were, indeed, some interesting pointers that she tucked into her mental file. She buried the magazine in the bottom of her suitcase, then fished the bikini from its hiding spot. She stripped and donned the skimpy red swimsuit, applied her sun block, then zipped up the white terry cloth cover-up. She tucked the novel under her arm and headed out to the pool area.

She found Castle reclined in a lounge chair, likely on the threshold of a calorie coma. She took the chair next to his and settled in for a read. She favored this series, as it had a heroine she could identify with. She'd no sooner gotten past the prologue when Rick spoke. "You know, cheating is grounds for divorce. And with one of my friends? Really."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"The book." He opened one eye at her. "I'm wounded."

"I'll show you wounded." She swatted him on the arm with the thick paperback, then opened it again and resumed her reading. After a beat, she continued. "Besides, if you wrote women as well as _he _does, maybe I wouldn't be forced to cheat." She chuckled at his indignant, nearly incoherent muttering.

They sat companionably, digesting brunch. As the sun climbed higher, Kate grew too warm for comfort. She sat up, laying the book aside. Wanting to be certain she had his attention for this part, she tickled his shin. "Hey, care for a swim?"

He nodded and sat up. She slowly lowered the zipper of the cover-up and suppressed a grin at his stunned expression when the last inch of her body was revealed. Casually she gathered her hair in a ponytail, using the elastic she'd looped around her wrist as a fastener. She rose from the lounge chair and sauntered to the pool, throwing a glance over her shoulder to see if he had moved yet. He was still sitting on his chair, slack jawed.

She turned her attention forward and traded friendly smiles with the lifeguard as she swirled her foot in the water. She glanced over her shoulder again and frowned when Rick was nowhere in sight. She scanned the area and let out a groan when she spotted him…atop the ladder of the high diving board. Her look went from trepidation to admiration when he executed a perfect dive. She hurried across the pool to meet him as he broke the surface, wiping his hair out of his eyes.

"Very nice," she greeted him. "You've been holding out on me."

He arched one eyebrow and with a pointed look at her bathing suit, countered "I'm not the only one."

"You complaining?"

"About the bikini, no. About feeling like decking the guys who are looking at you, maybe a little."

She wrapped her arms around him. "Remember, just like at the topless beach. I'm…all…yours."

* * *

They went ashore to Cannes, strolling the streets hand in hand. They admired the architecture of the various buildings. They visited an art gallery, where they purchased a painting of a street scene, then immediately arranged for it to be shipped home, rather than having to carry it around and worry about packing it in their luggage. When they tired of walking, they sought out a place to take a break.

They opted for dinner at Le 38, cleverly named after its location: 38 rue des Serbes. After sharing a small terrine of foie gras, Rick had the grilled filet of beef with béarnaise sauce, while Kate dined on roasted lobster with truffle studded risotto. Too full for dessert, they explored the city further, stopping to cuddle in a secluded nook with a romantic view of the water. After a time Rick's sweet tooth began to call, and they sought a treat.

"Oooh, those look good…" Kate murmured. Smiling, Rick opened the door of Laduree, waiting while she took another glance at the pastries in the window. They ordered coffees and a sampling of cookies, then found seats at a small round table.

"Mmmmm, oh wow." The object of their shared affection was something that had been labeled 'macaron'. Creamy ganache filling sat between two airy discs of meringue. Chocolate was somehow involved in each variety, combined with orange, raspberry, or mint. The total effect was a decadent, melt-in-your-mouth experience. Rick returned to the counter and ordered two dozen boxed for travel.

The entire next day was spent on the water. They passed much of it in bed, dozing, talking, loving, and generally recuperating from their busy trip. When Kate rose to get a drink, she found that an envelope had been slid under the door. Examining its contents, Kate sighed inwardly. Did he _really_ need further stroking of his ego? She chastised herself for the uncharitable thought. His talent had earned him the notoriety, his charm kept it intact. Certainly his talent and keen mind had earned her respect, first from the page, then through his help in her investigations. This was a well deserved honor.

She turned on her heel to find he was watching her, between yawns and eye rubbing. "What's that?"

She made a platter of her palm and offered him the envelope. Confused, he opened it. He became instantly alert.

"Get out! Dinner at the Captain's table? Really?"

She smiled gently. "You're actually surprised? How often do you think they have guests who've been on the cover of Cosmo? And on talk shows? And on over two dozen book jackets?"

An hour later they were seated at a round table in one of the ship's dining rooms. Rick had donned his dark grey pinstripe suit, and had opened another of the shirt/tie packages. This one was black, with a grey and muted-blue tie. Kate had slipped into her favorite strapless 'little black dress'. Judging by the fact that they barely made it out of their room on time, Kate guessed it was one of Rick's favorites, too.

Beside them sat the ship captain and the social director. Two other couples filled the remaining seats. After chatting amiably, they found that one of the men was a university professor studying alternative energy sources, his wife a cellist with the symphony. The other twosome consisted of a doctor and his nurse wife, who donated their off time to clinics in impoverished nations. Dr. and Mrs. Price were actually on their way to Ethiopia, but had opted to take the scenic route, as it was their anniversary. Rick, in turn, answered questions about his writing in general and his latest endeavor, the Nikki Heat series, in particular. He graciously accepted their praise, but gave Kate the credit for being so savvy, witty and beautiful that he couldn't help but be inspired to craft a character based on her.

Before dessert arrived, Rick had volunteered to donate autographed books for a benefit auction for the doctor's organization, as well as agreeing to give his endorsement to the professor's efforts.

And what a dessert it was. Almond wafers formed a crust on a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and caramelized oranges decorated the edges of the bowl. A drizzle of chocolate sauce adorned the whole confection. They were savoring the last spoonful when the music began. Rick raised one eyebrow to Kate, who made a little show of debating whether to accept his unspoken invitation, before grinning and taking the hand he had extended. They swayed to the music on the small dance floor for half an hour before retiring to their room for the night.

After they'd crossed the threshold, Kate murmured how proud she was of Rick, while loosening his tie and helping him out of his jacket. When he moved to do likewise to her dress, she waggled a finger at him, motioning for him to go sit on the bed. She eased the zipper down and let the dress fall, revealing a lacy black bra and panties with a matching garter belt. She approached him and he stood, allowing her to dispense with his shirt. Scooping her up and seating her on the writing desk/vanity, he covered her neck and shoulder in kisses while she made short work of his belt and fly. He slid his fingers under the garter belt and removed her panties. He moved in close and she wrapped herself around him. They soared to dizzying heights together. When they landed, they enjoyed a movie on the flat screen TV while nibbling on their macarons. They drifted off and dreamed of their next exotic stop.

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_**For those of you who are used to my accuracy in details, YES, I know there is no Laduree in Cannes, the nearest one is in Monaco, but I already had a plan for there. **_

_**Thank you for your reviews, alerts and favorite so far! They are motivation, so... more reviews, please?**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, lovely readers! Welcome to the next leg of Rick and Kate's honeymoon journey! Relax and enjoy!**

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They woke the next morning in Livorno and hurried through breakfast, so that they could join the trip to Florence. Even Rick gasped as they reached the bottom step of the tour bus and the panorama of the city unfolded before them. Off in the distance rose the dome of the famed cathedral 'Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore', which they made their first destination. When they reached the church, known locally as the Duomo, they joined the tour line. Inside the 15th century cathedral, they craned their necks to behold the fresco painted up in the ceiling of the dome. They climbed the numerous steps of the tall square tower so that they could view the dome (and the city) from above.

Castle was dying when he reached the top, his lungs burning and his legs trembling. He'd never admit he wasn't as fit as Kate, even though department requirements and her own discipline demanded it of her. She was barely winded, but he thought she might have leaned on him a bit more heavily than normal as they peered through one of the viewing windows at the top. The tower supporting the dome had circular windows on each of its 6 faces. They strolled around the tower walk, catching a glimpse of 'Ponte Vecchio bridge over the River Arno' according to the labeled sketches mounted on the walls and encased in Plexiglass to protect them from the elements.

When they left the Duomo, they strolled around the city's historic piazzas. They purchased snacks from a street vendor and sat beside the Fountain of Neptune, enjoying the cool mist drifting from the splashing water. It took all of Kate's persuasive (ok, coercive) skills to keep Castle _out _offountain.

They visited a gallery where the original statue of David was housed. Pointing to the historic sculpture, Kate winked at Castle. "Now _that_ is a man who's larger than life."

He considered the statue before turning to her. "And yet…either Michaelangelo crafted…certain things…disproportionately to avoid offending delicate sensibilities, or that model had to do some serious overcompensating somewhere else."

She swatted his arm but he blocked her and caught her hand in his, pinning it firmly between his elbow and his side. They wandered around the gallery for a while, then ventured back into the city. They found some hand crafted jewelry and chose complimentary necklaces of delicate Italian silver for Martha and Alexis. Turning back to the display, Rick selected a piece for Kate as well. "So all my girls have something special. It will be like…championship rings, but instead being about winning a game, it can be about …putting up with me."

Kate snickered at the truth of that. She wore hers proudly right out of the store.

They had dinner at a cozy trattoria, splitting a huge bowl of fettuccini bolognaise. Castle tried to engage her in a tandem noodle slurp, a la Lady and the Tramp, and at first she resisted, calling it silly. When he reminded her that no one knew them, she gave it a try once or twice, but they always ended up each with their own whole noodle.

Tired from a long day, they headed back to the ship. When they reached the top of the ramp, a crew member invited them to a wine tasting that was to commence shortly. Deciding it would make for a nice cap on the day, they headed to the designated lounge. They sat at a table with one other couple and made pleasant conversation as they sampled wines from around the world. They started with the whites, as the reds were heavier and would throw off their taste buds. As a nod to their American passengers, several Napa Valley wines were offered, as well as French, Italian, Australian, and others. Kate found that she preferred the sweeter ice wines, the nectar so concentrated it was almost juice. Rick chatted with the sommelier that circulated among the tables, discussing the virtues of different vintages.

They moved on to the red wines and again were treated to an international sampling. They nibbled at cheese, fruit and chocolate, things that were said to enhance the flavor of the spirits, (and, by no coincidence, give the stomach more to process than just alcohol.)

When the event concluded, though she appeared to be walking steadily, Kate had a lovely blush to her face that belied Lanie's assurances that the detective could out-drink him. His suspicions were confirmed when her sultry 'come hither' looks were punctuated by giggles.

She led him out to their private balcony. He allowed her to, because he figured the fresh air might help her clear her head. The steadily blowing breeze made for a slightly chilly evening, which is what (Rick told himself) accounted for the way her nipples were standing erect, a fact that was obvious due to her thin summer blouse. Rather than join her at the rail as before, he opted to sit in a lounge chair.

Kate, her inhibitions significantly lowered by the wine, knelt before him and released him from his pants before he could stop her. He glanced around frantically but realized that the only view onto the balcony was from the open ocean. She kissed, licked and sucked him into a frenzied state, then stood and eased onto his lap, engulfing him. He rocked his hips up, further into her, then relaxed as she withdrew slightly. Their rise and fall found a pattern not unlike the ocean waves below them. As they breathed more heavily, the tang of the salt air tickled their noses.. Like the dark blue water, their passion swelled, formed a crest, then toppled. They sat curled together, the breeze slowly evaporating the beads of sweat that had formed. When the chill became too much, they returned to the shelter of their room.

They awoke the next morning to behold the port of Civitavecchia outside their window. After they dressed and ate, Rick checked his watch, then led Kate out to the ramp. At the pier awaited several gleaming black Mercedes sedans. Beside each stood a uniformed driver holding a name placard. Kate found it first and spun to glare at him. "Can't you do anything like normal people?"

He held her gaze without flinching. "We did normal yesterday. Remember the bus? Today we're doing style." He quieted her grumbling protest with firm hands on her shoulders. He bent slightly to meet her eyes. "If you haven't figured it out already, let me enlighten you. Knowing your drive and dedication, it's going to be a LONG time until I can get you to take enough vacation time for another good trip. So I am making the most of this one, taking every opportunity to spoil you rotten. Please just let me?"

She nodded slowly, shyly. He kissed her temple, her nose, and her lips, before taking her elbow and guiding her to the livery that awaited them. They relaxed into the soft seats as the car cruised toward Rome.

Stop one was the Sistine Chapel, within Vatican City. They gazed in awe at the artwork that graced the ceiling, various scenes from the book of Genesis. Scores of other biblical figures were depicted on the ceiling and walls, and they spent an hour just trying to absorb it all.

From there the driver took them to the Pantheon, the front entrance of which was supported by rows of columns. It wasn't difficult to see where the inspiration for some of Washington DC's monuments and memorials had come from. Clearly the Jefferson Memorial had been modeled after this ancient building. Inside the domed part, a skylight admitted a beam of sunshine to illuminate the interior.

Next they asked to be taken to Trevi Fountain, a gorgeous sculpture with numerous figures, including Neptune and his sea horses. They found a small café to get coffee and some almond loaf pastries to go, then sat on the terraced steps that faced the fountain, to appreciate its beauty. They watched the water pour over the sculpted rocks. As they turned to go, they noticed a woman in a peasant dress wading into the fountain with a flat edged metal basket. She bent and scooped some of the wishing coins into her receptacle, while some onlookers cheered and others booed. When the basket was full, the woman strode out of the fountain and disappeared into the crowd. They learned later that the woman had been arrested for the theft, and the money, earmarked for charity, had been confiscated.

They made the gigantic, ancient ruins of the Colosseum their next stop. Rick, in typical gruesome storytelling fashion, wove a tale about the gladiator fights that had taken place on the grounds. Checking his watch, he noted that it was time to meet their driver. On their request, he drove them past the Arch of Titus and the Arch of Constantine, more ancient structures, before returning them to their cruise ship.

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**_And so ends another chapter. Thanks for reading! Please review!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Having some editing issues today, folks, thank you for your patience. Yes, this is still ch 8 from last Friday. Working on Chapter 9, I swear ;)**

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Chapter 8

While Kate was washing up after their busy day, Rick checked the 'event' channel on the TV. One corner of his mouth curled when he noted what would be occurring soon in the Balsam Lounge. Stripping, he approached the cubicle shower, opened the door and slid in behind Kate. One look at the water droplets clinging to her beautiful curves and he nearly started something that would have defeated the purpose of showering together to save time.

"What are you doing?" she protested playfully.

His mind went blank for a second as he fought the urge to kiss her bare shoulder. "Saving water?"

She looked over her shoulder to frown at him. "Bullshit. We're _surrounded_ by water."

"Okay, then, saving time. There's a concert that starts in 20 minutes. Simultaneous showering means we can both get dressed at the same time afterward and not be late."

Kate nodded her agreement, after deciding that a musical evening would be a nice way to wind down from the day. Years of hasty preparations prompted by 3am calls had honed her efficiency, and she finished washing up, exited the shower, and was dressed and ready by the time Rick was finished toweling off. "C'mon, I thought you were in a hurry," she teased.

He narrowed his eyes at her briefly, before winking. In a flash he was clothed in his signature suit-no-tie garb. They made their way up to the Balsam lounge and sat at a table for two, hands intertwined, as they enjoyed the lively music of Vivaldi, Handel and Rameau. After the classical concert ended a waiter circulated and took dessert orders. Rick and Kate split a crème Brule and sipped on authentic cappuccino, before retiring to their room.

Kate disappeared into the changing area and exited a few moments later in the deep indigo negligee he'd bought her in France. She admired the way it flattered her figure, and loved the way the fabric felt against her skin. She was certain her husband would feel the same. Sure enough, his hands froze in mid air where they had been unbuttoning his shirt. '_Right on count 1' _she thought.. She smiled coyly and gently moved his arms aside so that she could complete the task for him. Once his chest was bared, she wrapped her arms around his torso and pressed herself to him. He let out a low growl of appreciation and tumbled her to the bed. _'Right on count 2'_.

"God, you are sexy," he said, between kisses. She blushed at the compliment. "Oh, I've made you flustered? Let's see if I can keep that blush going. Alluring? Bewitching? Delectable? Exquisite? Flawless? Gorgeous?"

"Castle," she interrupted. "Aren't there…better things you could be doing with your mouth besides showing off your impressive vocabulary skills?"

He raised an eyebrow at her, then proceeded to prove that indeed, his mouth had other talents. Inside of ten minutes, Kate was using hers to scream out his name in ecstasy.

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Kate leaned against the wall of Rick's chest and closed her eyes briefly, just enjoying the feel of the warm breeze on her face and the slow rocking of the horse drawn _carrozza _that bore them along the streets of Sorrento. The clip clop sound of the horse's hooves on the flagstone echoed off the walls of the passing buildings. She opened her eyes again to admire the lovely pastels that adorned each little cottage. She breathed in the sweet scent of the brilliant flowers that decorated every yard.

Each time they reached a straight section of road, the tour guide turned to look over his shoulder and offer them some tidbit about the history of that section of the city. He'd already told them that according to Greek mythology, Sorrento was the home of the Sirens. He navigated up a series of switchback roads, until he had reached the top of the sea cliffs. He gestured that they get out and investigate the view.

Nodding, Rick climbed out of the carriage and held up his hand gallantly to assist Kate. When she paused and glared at him, he merely cocked his head to the side and gave her his puppy dog face, reminding her that she had promised to let him spoil her a little. They walked to the railing of the overlook and gasped in awe. The sparkling blue Bay of Naples lay below them, and in the distance, Mount Vesuvius.

Kate looked up at Rick. "I want you to know that I am never going to forget this trip."

He smiled down at her. "I'll remind you of that the next time I'm in the dog house."

Their driver took them back down to sea level, and recommended that they sample Limoncello before they left. Never one to question the wisdom of the locals, they sought out a likely place to order the digestif, which, they were told was made from lemon rinds, alcohol, water and sugar. It was a delicious way to quench their late afternoon thirst.

They returned to their ship for dinner, followed by dancing. The ship's band played a well balanced blend of up-tempo songs and romantic ballads. They swayed to one such song, so lost in one another's eyes that the rest of the room vanished. When the spell was broken by a pop tune, Kate surprised Rick by breaking into a lively dance step. Rick just stepped back for a minute and watched, grinning. He didn't often get to see her this light-hearted. She twirled around him and then pulled him in close.

"You like these moves, wait till you see the ones I've got for you when I get you alone."

His eyebrows shot up. "I'm ready when you are," he replied eagerly.

She chuckled, but remained on the dance floor for two more songs, just to heighten the anticipation. Finally during a slow song she took advantage of the cover that the tail of Rick's jacket provided to give his bottom a quick squeeze. He captured her lips in a kiss that had her dragging him toward the door, just so he didn't embarrass them right there on the dance floor.

Back in their room, she swatted his hands away when he meant to undress her. She wiggled out of his grasp and went to the vanity/desk, grabbing the chair and placing it against the wall. "Sit," she commanded. He swallowed and nodded, complying with a touch of wonder.

Mentally calling up the article she'd read on the art of the lap dance, she went to the tv and tuned it to one of the music channels, finding one that specialized in slow romantic songs. She moved in close to Rick, then gently pushed his knees apart so that she could get closer. She began to slide her hands up and down over her body, pausing to undo a button on each pass. When he lifted his hands to help her, she wagged her index finger side to side. She turned her back to him and peeled off her blouse, then resumed her self-massage. She slid her hands down over her butt then back up to work the zipper of her skirt downward. She coyly looked over her shoulder at him, just in time to catch him with his arms out, trying to help her again. She let the skirt fall to the floor and began to sway her hips. She turned back around and leaned over, bracing her hands on the wall behind him so that she could get tantalizingly close, so close she could feel his breath on her chest, coming out in big whooshes as he breathed deeply to control himself.

"Kate?" His voice cracked under the strain of having to keep his hands to himself. She smiled, deciding he'd been good long enough. She leaned in closer to suck on his earlobe, knowing it would snap his control. Just as she suspected, his arms came around her then, crushing her to him. He finally shifted so that he was holding her with one arm, while the other was braced on the wall behind him to push himself up out of the chair. He moved forward, carrying her, until he reached the bed. He fell onto it with her pinned beneath him. He pushed into her urgently, until he remembered he was still dressed. He rolled away, dispensing with his clothing, then hers. He came back and was into her with one fluid move. She clung to him, snaking one arm up to bring his head down to kiss her. They made passionate love until their world exploded.

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The next stop on the cruise was Sicily. They left very early and signed up for a tour of the island that would take them to some of the major highlights. Taormina was their port of call, and Mount Etna, the largest active volcano in Europe, served as a breathtaking backdrop. From there they were taken south along the coast to visit Castello Ursino (Bear Castle) and Teatro Massimo Bellini (an ornate opera house) in Catania, then westward to Syracuse and Castello Maniace, which, they were informed, had been featured in a Smithsonian article.

They were taken northwest across the island to Agrigento, where the Valley of Temples was located. Though not actually in a valley, the site contained the remnants of seven ancient Greek temples. They strolled among the towering, weathered columns, feeling the history. They were then taken north to Palermo, to the Cathedral Monreal, an exquisite 12th century cathedral with over 2000 kilograms of gold adorning the murals on the walls and ceilings.

It had been an exhausting but well worth it day, Rick mused as Kate dozed with her head against his shoulder on the bus ride back to their ship. When they arrived, she looked a little refreshed, so he suggested they head into one of the lounges for a nightcap. They were pleasantly surprised to find that there was a martini tasting going on, and they sampled several. Kate decreed that the chocolate one was her favorite (vodka and brown crème de cacao), while Rick favored the Blue martini, Bombay Sapphire gin flavored with Blue Curacao liqueur.

Back in their room, they were in bed and sound asleep before the rest of the excursion parties had returned.

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**_Sorry for the extended delay in updating. Blame it on the holidays. I will try to be better about the next chapter. Meanwhile, please leave me a review? You know you want to say SOMETHING about the chapter, and I just adore hearing from you._**


	9. Chapter 9

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**Hi folks, sorry about the barrage of false update alerts yesterday, chalk it up to a comedy of errors. Enjoy the really, truly new adventures brought to you by Chapter 9!**

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When they woke the next morning, they found that the ship had sailed around Italy and up into the Ionian Sea. The island of Corfu, Greece lay before them.

On their shore trip they opted to start with a guided tour up to the top of Mount Pantokrator, looming over 1000 meters high. On the way up the mountain road they went through Spartilas, a surprisingly large ancient village. When Castle commented on its size to their driver, he replied with a smile. "It is only fairly recently that the coastal areas have become populated - most people lived high in the hills to avoid the marauding pirates"

They stopped next at Strinilas, a smaller village above the line where the olive trees were able to grow. They continued up to the summit and the driver parked at the building. It appeared to have been built of stone, and from a double arch on the roofline hung two bells, tinged green from exposure to the elements. In stark contrast to the ancient building was the array of cell towers and antennae, testaments to progress. They sat on one of the green-painted wooden benches at the scenic overlook area. Rick wrapped his arm around Kate's shoulders and pulled her close. Her head lolled contentedly against his shoulder as they took in the view. From this angle they could see several of the beaches, and in some places the water appeared as an unreal turquoise. They strolled around so that they could see most of the island below them, as well as the mainland in the distance. Rick grinned, feeling like he was on top of the world.

Once they'd made it back down the mountain, at their guide's recommendation they visited Kerkyra. The town seemed to be a perfect summary of their trip so far, as it contained influences from Italy, France and England. There was a 16th century fortress, and lots of little shops. In one they purchased wild honey. In another, Kate bought a handmade lace tablecloth. They stopped at a little Taverna for lunch, topped off with fig cakes.

Across the street was a store displaying hand-crafted gold jewelry. Kate selected a pair of delicate hoop earrings for herself and went to check on Rick. He was looking in a display case but he had his phone out, browsing for…something. When she looked over his shoulder at the screen, he quickly closed the case. She stared at him inquisitively, but his face betrayed nothing. He visited another jeweler and had a quiet word with the proprietor. The older man shook his head but looked thoughtful. He made a telephone call. "My cousin down the street. He can help you."

Pausing on the threshold of the third store, Rick looked at Kate. "You know all those times you told me to stay in the car?"

"Yes," she retorted, "do you know how many times you actually _did?" _

He faltered. She had a point. "Well, I will guarantee you that the number will go up, if you will just stay right here, now."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Guarantee, huh?" He nodded eagerly. "Ok."

He disappeared into the store and came back five minutes later, empty handed.

"Ok, now what was all that about?" she demanded.

He grinned mysteriously but would say nothing. They arranged transportation back to the coast where they would eventually re-board their ship. They parted company momentarily and stepped into a bath house to change for their visit to the beach, using the clothes they had stowed in a locker upon their arrival. Kate emerged minutes later, ready to take a dip in the ocean. She glanced at the men's entrance to confirm that Rick was also done changing, but then did a double take when a glint of gold caught her eye. They met in between the entrances, his eyes gleaming. She examined the new necklace he wore. The length of it explained why she hadn't seen it under his shirt. Dangling from the intricate chain was a small charm of a female figure holding an even smaller set of scales. Her brow furrowed and her eyes searched his.

"I'd like to introduce you to Themis, Greek goddess of Justice. She is the embodiment of _you, _and forever more she will sit close to my heart, for those times when I can't have the real thing at my side."

Kate's face split into a grin. "God, I love you!"

"As I do you, my darling," he replied softly. "Now, shall we hit the beach?"

She nodded and took his hand. They found a clear spot on the beach to lay a blanket down, then strolled hand-in-hand to the water's edge. When the first waves lapped their toes, they barely felt it. They strode into an ocean as warm as bath water. They played in the waves, then headed back to their blanket to sun themselves dry. They lay relaxing until they were nearly the only people remaining on the beach. Reluctantly they packed up and headed up to the ship.

They ventured into the card room to follow up their quiet afternoon with a quiet evening of board games. Rick's eyes lit up when he saw a Scrabble game just beginning. Kate groaned and hooked her arm through his, bringing him up short when he headed toward the table. "What are you doing? You are going to pulverize those poor people. Your whole life is about words."

"What, worried you can't keep up with me?" he challenged. He knew full well that her education had provided her with quite the verbal arsenal, but he couldn't help himself. Her eyebrows shot up.

"Bring it on."

He nodded. "But wait, what are the stakes?"

Kate rose on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear. He groaned at the picture she painted. "Scrabble might take a while," he answered wistfully. "Wanna try for tic-tac-toe?"

They politely approached the couple already setting up the board and asked to join in. The game followed a predictable rhythm at first, one person contemplating the board while three people made quiet small talk. Their companions/opponents were Shannon, a computer programmer and her chef husband Martin. They chatted about the cuisine they had sampled both on the ship and at their various ports of call. As the scores were tallied, it became obvious that Rick and Kate were pulling far ahead of the other two, who seemed not to mind. Married fifteen years, they enjoyed having front row seats to the banter and the (not so) covert touches of newlyweds.

Kate was excited when she was able to occupy one of the triple word spaces while building the word 'flat'. Not a terribly impressive word, but effective for sustaining her lead. She was near jubilant when she collected her three letters and realized that she could build off of her last turn and get yet another triple spot, if only the opportunity remained. Sure enough when the board was spun to her again, she added letters to make 'flatfish'. Triumphantly she added up her score, before rotating the board to face Rick. With barely contained glee, he emptied his rack and managed to occupy not one but _two _triple word spaces with 'quixotry', earning him a staggering two hundred and twelve points. She tried to stare him down. "Really, Rick, I know you make up stories for a living, now you're making up words?"

He merely smiled and raised one eyebrow at her, pulling his phone from his pocket. With a few swipes at his touch screen, he had navigated to an online dictionary site. He offered the device to her on his flattened palm. "Look it up for yourself if you don't trust me. But remember, she who loses a challenge also loses 10 points. Can you afford it?" He knew he probably shouldn't bait her, but she HAD accused him of trying to cheat. He watched her eyes dart back and forth from his face to the phone in his hand, her bottom lip caught in her teeth. Finally she narrowed her eyes at him and waved away his offer.

Shannon and Martin held their breath as they watched the whole exchange. They thought for sure one of the two would end up storming away from the table. Surprisingly, neither did, and though Rick had an insurmountable lead, there was more luck on Kate's side and she finished only forty-eight points behind him. The two couples shook hands and parted ways.

Back in their stateroom, Rick let out another groan, this one blissful, as he lay on the bed in the altogether, enjoying a full body massage performed by his equally naked wife. "You realize, don't youuuuu…" he broke off on a moan, "that I never would have taunted you if we'd been back in the states where you had access to your gun."

She smirked down at him. "You'd just better pray, Mr. Castle, that I don't secretly replace the Kevlar plates in your vest with waffles one day."

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The next port of call was Dubrovnik Croatia, a walled medieval city with numerous gates on the Adriatic coast. The city was in the midst of a summer festival, full of music and art. They basked in the culture as they sat by Onofrio Fountain, less impressive than in its heyday thanks to the ravages of war. They took a guided tour of the city, which, they were told, was a UNESCO world heritage site. They were taken past Fransiscan and Dominican monasteries and various other points of interest. Finally they attended a stirring performance of Hamlet on Lovrijenac tower.

Back on the ship they dressed in their finest daywear and presented themselves in the main dining room at precisely four pm for high tea. The chefs had assembled an impressive collection of pastries in various flavors and colors. A small chamber orchestra played in one corner of the room. Kate and Rick selected a small assortment of goodies and found a table. The wait staff circulated around the room assisting the passengers. The list of tea flavor options filled both sides of the laminated index card on their table, so Rick simply asked their server to choose one for them. He took Kate's hands in both of his and smiled into her eyes.

"So, we check out of our mammoth floating hotel tomorrow. Sorry to see it go?"

"A little," Kate admitted. "But I'm sure I will be happy with our next locale, too.

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**As many other wise writers have said, reviews are love! Please share?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok so this time I can't blame the long delay on the holidays. Umm how about...terrifying space monkeys dismantled my computer? No really it's a combination of factors, the need to do research and some future chapters demanding attention. I am very grateful to all of you who review, alert and favorite, and if you're reading this right now, THANKS for hanging in with me. **

**Now, on with the show. Oh yes, and happy episode viewing tonight.**

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Chapter 10

The first rays of dawn glinted on the balcony railing and began to illuminate their room. Kate extracted herself from Rick's embrace to peer eagerly out the large sliders. Venice lay before her in the distance. Her eyes shone as she looked back at him. "Come see, it's so beautiful."

He raised himself onto one elbow and regarded her. "Can't be more beautiful than you, but okay."

He rose from the bed and came to stand beside her. They watched the shoreline loom a little larger, before he pulled her in for a kiss. He drew back, then made a show of glancing from her to their view and back. "Nope, you've still got it beat." Winking, he patted her bottom. "C'mon, let's get dressed and packed."

They carefully folded and zipped all of their garments and souvenirs into their luggage. They visited the dining room for a final buffet breakfast, then arranged for a baggage porter to take everything down to the dock. Once on land, they found a sleek boat from the Hotel Danieli waiting for them. A man in a polo shirt and pressed khakis approached. "Signore and Signora Castle? I am Giovanni, I will be escorting you to the hotel."

Kate arched her eyebrow at Rick, who shrugged. "Apparently when you book into a place like this, even a little notoriety gets you star treatment." The pilot took them right to the private water entrance to the hotel, then procured a trolley and brought their bags inside. Kate's jaw dropped as she set foot in the lobby, and she noted even Rick looked impressed. Marble columns graced the space, drawing the eye to the sweeping staircase, protected by an actual red carpet. The atrium style allowed them to view upper staircases. The floor was constructed of tan and cinnamon inlaid marble tile. Small palm trees, strategically placed, gave an oasis feel. The ceiling was textured, accented with gilt molding.

They went to the front desk and checked in. They were escorted to their room by a uniformed bellman. Through the window, the lagoon was visible. Adorning the window frame was a set of drapes in a fabric that perfectly matched the wallpaper, off white with thin black lines in a scrolling pattern. The room was sub-divided by an archway, from which a set of medium blue drapes hung. At the moment they were drawn back and held in place with a satin cord. If they were released, they would create a privacy barrier between the sleeping area, outfitted with a king sized bed, and the sitting area, which contained a round table with straight backed chairs, a rectangular table, and two arm chairs. All of the chairs were upholstered with blue velvet in a shade that matched the carpet and the divider drapes. From the ceiling hung a beautiful light fixture of Venetian glass, a well known product of the city, so the bellman informed them when he observed Kate's admiring gaze. The glass was sculpted and tinted with delicate pastels to resemble flowers. Kate was certain that the furniture pieces were antique.

Once the luggage had been set aside and the bellman tipped, Kate and Rick indulged in what had become a bit of a trip tradition: standing side by side at the window, admiring their view. The water of the lagoon, and beyond it, the Adriatic Sea, sparkled in the sunlight. Kate leaned into Rick's side, and he brushed a kiss across her temple. "Welcome to Venice, Mrs. Castle."

After unpacking, they headed downstairs and out into the sunlight. Since they came in by way of the side entrance, they stopped for a moment to admire the front of the hotel. The building was the same size as its neighbors, though it was painted a bold terra cotta shade, making it stand out from the white buildings flanking it. The window moldings, painted white, looked like something that belonged on a church. The cornerstones were also white, for contrast.

Taking one last look they set out to explore the city. Built on a salt marsh, Rick explained, Venice consisted of 117 islands formed by 177 canals. The narrow footpaths were punctuated by arching bridges traversing the canals. Hand-in-hand they strolled, taking in the centuries-old architecture. When they tired of walking, they approached one of the gondolas that were for hire. They spent the rest of the day being guided around the city through the network of canals, viewing not only the touristy spots but the little neighborhoods.

Upon returning to their hotel they dressed for dinner. They ventured down to the restaurant and were seated on a terrace that overlooked the city. As they ate their dinner, partaking of the succulent seafood the region was known for, they gazed out at the gorgeous architecture, with the sunset as a backdrop.

Kate sighed contentedly as she chewed her monkfish. It had been prepared simply, broiled with a bit of butter and bread crumbs, with a twist of lemon. She'd politely declined when Castle offered her a bite of his shrimp with Black Squid Ink Risotto. She had come to accept that out of the two of them, he was more prone to culinary adventures.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She felt his hand on hers and turned to look at him. His loving gaze on her face turned her insides to mush every single time. Time to turn the tables.

"Can I ever thank you enough for this trip?" she asked softly. "It's amazing. YOU are amazing."

He merely grinned at her. "Thank you. I _will_ remind you of that when you're threatening to kill me."

The next morning they walked through Piazza San Marco, flanked on either side by buildings that housed shops and restaurants on the ground floor and offices above. At the entrance to the piazza there were two tall columns capped by pedestals and atop them were statues. Ever the font of knowledge, Rick identified them for her. "That one depicts a winged lion, the symbol of Venice. The other, clutching a spear, is of San Teodoro, the patron".

They were drawn, by a magnetic force it seemed, to Saint Mark's Basillica and the clock tower beside it. The exterior of the Basillica was a work of art in of itself, warranting at least ten minutes of contemplation to fully appreciate the intricate details. There were onion shaped domes, gilt figures atop flagpoles. Some of the domes had ornate crosses protruding from their pinnacles. After a lengthy wait, they were admitted inside. Kate gasped as she beheld the ceiling. It glowed with golden mosaics. One had an unusual depiction, and she tilted her head as she tried to interpret it. She heard Castle chuckling over her shoulder.

"Ah yes. Only in the ninth century could you not only pull off grand larceny, but get somebody to paint a big picture on the wall about what you did," he remarked, amused. Seeing her brow furrow with confusion, he elaborated. "The relics of Saint Mark were stolen from Egypt by the Venetians. They hid them in pork barrels to avoid detection by the Muslims."

"And you know all this, how?" Kate questioned, her tone almost hinting that she thought he was making it up.

"Exhaustive research into criminal actions, what else?" he returned innocently. "Kinda hard to be a crime novelist otherwise…Speaking of thievery, there is another example upstairs, we can view it if you'd like. A bronze sculpture of four horses, life sized, dating to Greco-Roman times. They were stolen from Constantinople and brought here. Napoleon swiped them in his day, too, and brought them to France. They came back in the early 1800s."

When they left the Basillica, they wandered in and out of the various shops in the piazza. One such store held the Venetian glass the area was known for. Kate examined a small glass vase with sculpted glass flowers. "Lanie'd love this..." she murmured.

"Then let's get it for her." Foreseeing Kate's practical protest, he continued. "We can have it packaged and shipped right to her. Hell, it will be back to the states before we are, and the two of you will have lots to talk about." When she nodded her agreement Rick made the arrangements.

"The boys will be jealous, you know," Kate chuckled.

"More so than my actual child, I agree. We'll find something for them, too."

Leaving the piazza, they made their way past the Doge's palace, where the leader of the city had resided, until that form of government gave way in the late 1700.s The palace was beautiful on the outside, more rectangular but with an intricate geometric pattern on the façade.

Kate turned in her seat and pulled Rick to lean against her, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and resting her head next to his. The sunlight warmed them as they rode a _vaporetti_ the full length of the Grand Canal, S-shaped and as wide as a half dozen of the regular canals put together. In no hurry today, they stayed on the water bus through all of the stops, all the way to the end and back to the beginning again. They watched people from various walks of life get on and off; a mother shepherded three young children, one clutching a dingy but well loved doll. Rick tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his quick frown as he looked at the little girl.

"Go ahead, call her," Kate urged.

"No, it's silly, she is an adult now, plus she's with Mother, for whatever that's worth. Anyway, we're on our honeymoon." Still, he fingered his phone wistfully.

Kate huffed at his stubbornness. "Fine, if you won't call Alexis, then I will." She reached in his pocket discretely and stole the phone right from under his hand. She dialed Alexis' number from memory, automatically adding in the US country code. She figured it would be quicker than trying to summon the number from Rick's directory. When her step-daughter's chipper voice sounded through the speaker, she handed the phone to Rick.

With a look of thanks, he accepted it. "Hey pumpkin." He chatted briefly, assuring himself that all was well with her. He ended the conversation with "Love you to. Yes, I'll tell her." He aimed a playful look at Kate. "Our daughter wanted to know why I was neglecting you on our honeymoon to call her."

Happily they returned to their people-watching A neatly dressed woman, probably a secretary, carefully unwrapped a lunch from a brown paper bag and sat balancing it in her lap as she enjoyed the sunshine. They traveled under the famous Rialto Bridge, an ornate covered structure, as well as the Scalzi and the Accademia bridges, snapping pictures at choice moments.

Finally completing the circuit, they stopped at a small café and had gelato. There were many flavors of the frozen treat to choose from, but after a lengthy negotiation they each ordered two different scoops and agreed to share. Kate dipped her spoon into her chocolate scoop and offered it to Rick. He responded in kind with his raspberry flavor, and Kate grasped his wrist on the pretense of holding the spoon steady. She took great delight in slowly licking the bowl of the spoon clean, all the while lightly massaging the inside of his wrist.

"Be careful," he warned, his eyes darkening, "You're going to melt all the gelato in this place."

She gave him a carefree smile and made a study of returning to her dessert. "Pistachio?" she asked, waving her spoon at him again. He accepted her offer, and smiled inwardly at the brief flash of disappointment in her eyes when he didn't take the opportunity to toy with her as she had with him.

Back in their room later that night, Rick took the pent up tension he'd been storing and made it work for him. "So, my Kate likes to tease?" he whispered in her ear as he wrapped her in a firm embrace. "I'll show you teasing."

At the conclusion of their Venice visit, rather than going to the airport or the docks as expected, Rick led her to the train station. She regarded him with an incredulous look. "God, Rick, are you determined to experience every form of travel imaginable? What's next, horseback?"

He appeared to be considering it. "Well, we have taken a horse drawn cart, does that count?"

"Not really. There is NO substitute for…_straddling_…a _massive_ beast, feeling the _power_ of the muscles, _connecting_ on an _animal_ level, just riding and _riding_ until it's all _lathered_ up, and it has _taken_ you where you _desperately_ wanted to go."

Listening to her description, his mouth went dust-dry. And he thought HE was good at painting a picture with words. Sweet heaven. For the hundredth time since he saw her coming down the aisle on her father's arm he thanked whatever higher power was listening that he'd been gifted with her, and with the wisdom to court and marry her. In his distraction, his shoulder slumped and his carryon dropped to the platform with a resounding 'thump'.

Recovering and clearing his throat, he decided to pay her back in kind. "Well, maybe once we reach our next destination, that can be arranged. In the mean while, you're going to enjoy the rhythmic rocking motion of another beast, one as _hard_ as steel. It will keep going… and _going_, _all _night."

She watched him raise an eyebrow at her. If he expected to see her blush, he would have to wait a long time. Still, he deserved a consolation prize. "Not bad, Castle. But I still like mine better. Besides," she paused for effect, "what if it runs out of steam?"

He glowered at her, then led her to the luxury sleeper car and stowed the luggage. "Tell you what. Let's go grab dinner in the dining car, and if we get seats on the left side of the train, we can watch the sun set."

"Ok, so we're headed north this time. Where to? And don't stonewall me again, I don't want to have the same conversation we did at the beginning of the cruise."

Relenting, he informed her, "We're going to spend a couple of days in Vienna. Now can we please get dinner, I'm wasting away here."

They dined on simple fare, cold chicken and cheddar with Russian dressing for her, roast beef and Swiss with honey mustard for him. They split a bag of chips and washed it all down with peach iced teas.

They retired to their sleeper car. Rick locked the door and turned to her with a wicked grin. "What?" she asked, as she sat on the bed removing her shoes.

"Oh, nothing. Just contemplating how many ways I can keep that smart mouth of yours busy. 'run out of steam' indeed."

He pushed her backward onto the bed, kissing her senseless as he helped her out of her remaining clothes. Her hands found their way inside _his_ clothes, cradling him intimately and making him gasp. She whispered in his ear. "Think I just found a good way to keep my mouth busy, you interested?"

He hurriedly removed his clothes. She urged him back onto the bed with her, then slid down his body and worked hard to dismantle his mind.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hi folks! Sorry this update has taken a while. My focus was split by a certain awesome new episode, and the mini fic it inspired. Then the chapter took on a life of its own. Hopefully you will enjoy the result!**

The train rolled into Vienna at 9am as promised. Out on the street, they hailed a taxi and requested that they be brought to Le Meridiene. A modern hotel, the lobby had red accent walls and a red padded bench with white-and-red throw pillows. Above it hung a light fixture that reminded Kate of steel wool with lights embedded in it. Since they had arrived well before check-in, their luggage was set aside in a secure storage area and they ventured into Café Boulevard for breakfast.

With a casual lounge feel, the restaurant had thick padding on the chairs in bright red fabric. They took a seat at one of the oval tables, frosted glass with brushed nickel trim. After they had placed their order, Kate admired the herringbone pattern of the blonde inlaid parquet floor. The light fixture hanging from the ceiling above her head consisted of at least a hundred bulbs in a hexagonal cluster.

They enjoyed Illy coffee, freshly squeezed juice, canapés with smoked ham, cheddar cheese and chives, and scrambled eggs with herbs and smoked trout. No longer able to resist the view out the window, they decided to take a stroll to walk off their sumptuous meal. They skirted the summer terrace, which already had its white square umbrellas set up over tables constructed of wooden slats, with dark brown vinyl runners. The chairs were adorned with thin white pads to match the umbrellas. They walked along the cobblestone sidewalk to Burggarten Park and just sat, people watching and soaking up the sun.

When their check-in time had arrived, they returned to the hotel and were escorted to the Executive Terrace Suite. The sun shining in through the sliders played off the white walls. Next to the slider was a sitting area with off-white suede chairs. Mounted on the wall was a huge flat screen TV. The single aqua accent wall framed the entrance to the bedroom, which had white linens and an ivory upholstered settee at the foot of the bed.

The bathroom had his-and-her sinks, each a frosted glass bowl. There was a white ceramic claw-foot tub and a large shower stall with something called 'power shower' fixtures. There was a stainless steel pole mounted near one wall of the stall, stretching floor to ceiling. Kate caught Rick staring at the pole with a lascivious grin, and rolled her eyes. His hopeful gaze darted to her face. "Maybe, if you're a good boy," she whispered, in response to the unspoken request.

"That's your only condition, that I have to be _good_?" He eyed the pole and swallowed, no doubt to contain the drool that was forming. "I've never been fond of that adjective, you know. It's very general. What are your specific terms? I'd hate to miss this opportunity because of a technicality." He was starting to babble and she just shook her head and walked away.

After unpacking their dressier clothes and arranging for them to be pressed, they changed into their swimwear and headed down to the pool. White tile on the floor and walls transitioned to smaller grey tiles where it formed the exterior wall of the hot tub. One wall bore a mosaic of red, yellow and orange tile. They swam a few laps and then sat in the Jacuzzi for a while. Since it was a public space, they didn't get too carried away, but that didn't prevent their hands from roaming below the shield of the bubbling water. When dinnertime neared, they returned to their room and dressed, arriving at the Restaurant Shambala in the hotel just in time for their reservation.

The décor was once again on the warm side of the color spectrum, with purple seats and pink tablecloths, light fixtures emitting pink and purple beams up and down the walls, and through a doorway the bar area was visible, with more pink, purple, and the red favored by the lobby decorator.

Rick opted to order the salad Shambala, a baby leaf salad with passion fruit dressing,  
radishes and sun dried tomatoes, while Kate went with the bread salad with sun dried tomatoes, peach and buffalo mozzarella. Next they paid a visit to the oyster bar, sampling different preparations of the mollusk. When the entrées arrived, it was quinoa nut risotto with salmon tatar and fresh coriander for Rick, and traditional Austrian pasta with cabbage for Kate. They had no prayer of room for dessert, so after they charged dinner to their room, they set out on foot for the whopping '500 steps' walk to States Theater.

They settled into their assigned seats as the lights were dimming. The curtain came up on the Vienna Festival Ballet Company doing a Tchaikovsky Gala. Strong and graceful dancers leapt and twirled across the stage. At one point Rick glanced down at Kate, her head pillowed against his shoulder. The entranced look on her face made his heart skip for just a second. Sensing his eyes on her, she glanced up and offered a contented smile.

At the conclusion of the performance, they found a romantic coffee house to enjoy some dessert. Sitting in a little nook sipping the local blend of her favorite beverage, Kate toyed with the chocolate layer cake on her plate. It was sinfully rich, and she was savoring every morsel. She watched the way the candle light sparkled in Rick's eyes as _he_ watched _her. _In a moment normally found in movies alone, they whispered "I love you" at the same time.

* * *

Rick reached for her as she climbed into bed wearing a tank top and soft shorts. The oysters he'd had at dinner were definitely working their magic. His kisses grew more and more urgent as his hands roamed her body, until finally she pulled away. "What's wrong?" he asked, worried.

She replied regretfully. "We might want to keep things low-key tonight."

"Ok, but can I ask why?"

"Because the…um…end zone is off limits." When he furrowed his brow in confusion, she gestured meaningfully to her shorts. "_It_ came a few days early."

"Oh. OH, I see." His smile went from sheepish to playful. "Well, all that means is I'll have to be creative. You know me, I don't shy away from a challenge." With that he began kissing her again, this time more slowly. Leaving her lips, he made a trail of kisses down her neck. He broke away to peel the tank top off, then returned to his mission, working down to her breasts. He traced a circle with his tongue, causing her to arch up. He suckled at one nipple while his hand fondled the other. The twin sensations were so sweet she thought she would lose her mind. Her hips twisted and shifted, apparently not having been informed that they were not invited to the party.

He flipped her over on her stomach and planted kisses from the small of her back all the way up her spine to the nape of her neck, causing her to shiver. He traced the curve of her ear with the tip of his tongue, then flipped her back over and kissed her lips again, this time more urgently. He repeated his worshiping treatment of her breasts, prolonging it this time until she was making little mindless sounds. His hand drifted down to her waist now.

"No, I told you…" she protested, though he could hear the need in her voice.

"Shhh, darling, just trust me. Open for me, please." Keeping to the outside of her clothing, he moved his hand down to the V of her thighs. Curling his thumb, he hooked it up under the shelf of her pubic bone and pressed in, massaging in a circle. The explosion was immediate. With a cry, she went stiff as the orgasm hit her. When she finally relaxed, he shifted upward and kissed her gently, then lay on his stomach beside her and draped an arm over her.

Sleep was already beginning to claim her when she mumbled "What about you?" She conked out so fast she never heard his answer. He'd intentionally lain so that his arousal was pressing into the mattress, rather than into her, so that she wouldn't feel badly about the one-sidedness of the evening.

Unbidden, the phrase "end zone" prompted memories of another time when he'd had a conversation that involved football parlance, when Demming had asked about his involvement with Kate. He'd been caught off guard, so he'd been truthful, there WAS no _them. _Afterwards though, he'd kicked himself. " 'No flag on the play'? MORON." Still, it had all worked out, but the thought of the months they'd wasted, avoidable if he'd just had the courage to make a sincere, serious bid for her, went a long way toward easing his…condition.

* * *

The next morning they sat out on the terrace, enjoying a view of the park they'd visited the day before. Rick outlined his plan, a cruise on the Danube River, while Kate reclined on the lounge chair, letting the sun warm her skin. Eventually he convinced her to get up and dress for the day, promising a wine-and-culinary adventure.

Kate couldn't get over the length of the "A'Rosa", the river boat they boarded at Nussdorf docks. The immense boat stretched over 400 feet. It took them through Vienna, then up past the terraced vineyards of Wachau valley, where fortresses like Castle Durnstein and historic sites like Melk Abbey overlooked the water. On the return trip they enjoyed beef burgundy with noodles and a red wine that had Rick practically swooning. Back on land they took a different route to the hotel, passing the 900 year old Klosterneuberg Abbey and many statues, some accented with gold.

Kate groaned as she dropped into one of the easy chairs in their room.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head at the concerned note in his voice. "Just sore from all the walking. Think I'll go check out the fancy shower."

She headed into the bathroom, deliberately not locking the door. She activated the multiple shower heads positioned around the stall. Before she could even disrobe, she heard the door latch click.

"Uh, Kate? I was just wondering…Can we…er…would you?"

She chuckled and eyed the pole in the shower. "Gee, I don't know if I'm convinced yet."

At that he stuck his head in the bathroom. "And is there something I can do to tip the scales in my favor?"

"Well...I think maybe knowing where we're going next might put me in a good mood."

Castle was silent, contemplating.

"But, if you don't want it that badly, that's fine too. If you'll excuse me…"

Ohh she could fight dirty that was for sure. This was an opportunity he'd really rather not miss out on. Heaving a playfully begrudging sigh, he capitulated. "Ok, be right back."

He returned with the travel itinerary, deciding it was more fun to let her read it for herself.

Amazed, she regarded him, reading their final honeymoon destination. "You're serious?"

Pleased that he had chosen well, he merely nodded. "Printouts don't lie. Have I earned a reward?"

"Bet your ass you did."

She undressed and stepped into the shower spray, letting the water course over her. Walking over to the pole she again embraced her inner exotic dancer and performed for him, raising her arms over her head with her back to it and sliding down and back up. She looked at her husband and the intensity in his face made her a little too self conscious to maintain eye contact. She closed her eyes and continued, turning to face the pole and hooking one leg around it, bending backwards gracefully She stood when she felt him close to her. She opened her eyes just as he closed the distance for a kiss. Grinning, they soaped each other up and let the water rinse them clean. "Come here, my adorable, accommodating wife." He picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist, entering her smoothly. As excited as he was, it took him no time at all to find his bliss, and the sheer power of it was enough to trigger hers. Still entwined, he carried her to bed, grabbing a towel on the way. After they were sufficiently dry, they curled together in bed. Castle let out a long contented sigh.

"Well, that's another fantasy we can check off my list!"

* * *

**_Please leave a review? I love hearing from you!_**

* * *

**Chapter 11**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello again, happy readers! This was originally part of Chapter 11, but it got to be too huge so I split it up. Thank you to all the folks who take the time to review. Special thanks to Tango Mike Charlie and Viktorija for their help on this one. **

* * *

Their flight from Vienna International Airport landed in Moscow and they made their way through customs and baggage claim without incident. The second Rick opened his mouth, Kate placed a finger to his lips. "Not this time, superstar. You're in MY house now. We'll test out how well you've learned from me later on."

She signaled a clean-looking taxi, then addressed the driver who was already hurrying to load their luggage in his trunk. "_Pozhaluysto, Gostinitsi Metropol_."

The driver flicked an eyebrow at her native-perfect pronunciation. "_S'oodavoylstviem, Gospozha_."

They checked into the Metropol Hotel and were shown to their room. This time their view was of the Bolshoi Theater. A framed print of an outdoor scene hung on the wall above the king sized bed. Beside the bed there was small vanity table, and by the windows there was a seating area with a round table and several chairs, upholstered in a blue that matched the drapes. There was a padded bench at the foot of the bed, and Kate crossed the Berber carpeting and settled herself, taking in the room. "Wow, another amazing place." She swiveled to look at him where he was unpacking his luggage. "I don't know if I will ever be able to thank you enough for making this trip so incredible. I know I was a brat at times, but having the destinations be a surprise was sort of fun."

His smile was gentle and shone with love. "Of course. Anything for you, you know that."

After several days in Moscow, they had seen the Botanical Garden, Lenin's Mausoleum, the Museum of Cosmonautics and the circus. They'd strolled along the Moskva River one evening, watching the city lights reflecting off the water. Now Kate and Rick stood side by side before St Basil's Cathedral, admiring the onion shaped domes adorned with numerous bold colors and patterns. Rick was just about to make a comment when he heard a familiar name being called. "Katya? _Katya!" _He tapped her shoulder and pointed at the woman quickly approaching them. "Someone knows you?"

Kate followed his gaze, then let out an uncharacteristic squeal. "YARI!" she greeted when the blonde reached them.

After jubilant hugging, Kate turned back to him. "Rick, this is Yarmilla Stepanovna. Her family hosted me during my semester in Kiev."

"Yari, _eto moi moozh_, my husband, Richard Castle. We're here on honeymoon, actually."

"Ah _otlichno_, excellent, Katya." She turned to shake Rick's hand. "_Ochen preeyatno!_ Pleasure to meet you. Katya, _skazhi menya_, tell me, what did you do after you completed your studies?"

"I'm a police detective now."

"_A tvoi moozh, on tozhe politseeyskiy_?"

"_Nyet, on pisatel_" Kate replied with a smile.

"A writer, eh? Castle…" She looked thoughtful, then gasped. "The one you wrote me about? Katya, you married the one who means so much to you? You sent me one of his books, _da_? I thought he looked familiar."

Kate blushed. "Yari. _Hvatit_." She spoke a bit more sharply than was necessary.

Yarmilla blinked. "Enough?"

"_Pozhaluysto_?" Kate added, with a faint pleading tone.

Yari looked from Kate to Rick and back. "Oh, you mean he does not know?"

"He didn't, until just now, thank you." Kate cast a sidelong glance at Rick. The corner of his mouth curled. He would be pressing for more details about that later, she could tell.

They found a café where they could sit and get caught up. Kate noticed that Yari looked stressed. "Something's wrong, Yari. What is it?"

"I just attended the funeral for _Dyadya_ Ivan." Kate shared her grief. Yari's uncle, dead? Her father had been the oldest in a long line of siblings. Ivan had been the youngest, so he actually wasn't much older than the two women.

"How did it happen?"

Yari shook her head. "The police, they say, ehm, _samo-oobeestvo." _She fluttered her hands. "Ugh. _Kak skazat. _How do you say, suicide? We find him in his room but I know, he was not that sad. He was mixed up with Russian mafia, they lure men in, promise good money for small jobs. Maybe he see too much. I tell police, but they will not investigate. Bribes, eh?" Looking hopeful, she regarded Kate. "But _you_ are police now." Then "no, it is too much to ask."

Kate looked at her friend, at the frown creasing her forehead as she fidgeted with her napkin. She glanced at Rick, now her partner in EVERY sense of the word. "Once again, we're way out of our jurisdiction, but…"

Even as he took in the determination on his wife's face, Castle quailed. "Last time we went up against the Russian mafia, it was on our turf, not theirs, and you just barely saved my ass. I'm not sure I'm ready to be your ONLY only backup."

She looked at him, surprised. "_You_ want to walk away from a mystery? What would Themis say?" she asked, tapping his chest where she knew the charm hung.

He flinched "Not fair. I want us _both_ to walk away from this trip, with all the body parts still accounted for and connected."

"It isn't like we're going on a raid, just see if we can check their work a little." She held his gaze, waiting.

Castle smiled. "I'm in it with you, of course I am."

Nodding, she turned back to Yarmilla. "Did a doctor do any examination after his death? A coroner, or a medical examiner? Was there a report?"

"I can find out."

"Also, did they give your family his personal effects, his clothes?"

Yari nodded.

"Ok, let's go to your family's house. We can look at the report, maybe, and his belongings."

At the Stepanovna house, Kate read the police and coroner's report. "Hmm. _Narkoticov… _what? Yari, _shto_ _peredozirovka_?"

"Drug overdose." Yari supplied. "But I told them he did not do drugs."

"Bruises on his arms, but no explanation of cause. I'd love Lanie to give this a second look. Let's see, 4pm here, so..." she did a quick calculation in her head, "8am back in New York. Yari, is there a fax machine anywhere that you could use?"

"_Da, _at _biblioteka_, the library at the _Politeknik _."

Kate turned to Rick, who already had his phone out. "Yes, of course I have the M.E.'s fax number."

While he jotted it on the front of the folder, Kate resumed reading. "There was a note?"

"I told police it was NOT his writing."

"What did they say?" Castle asked.

"They say family is always last to know," she replied bitterly.

Next Kate asked Yari for a white sheet. She laid it out on the table and carefully unfolded Ivan's clothing over it. "These pants look brand new."

"Yes, he got them the day before he died. What person that sad buys new pants? And those bruises, they say he get them days before, but I saw him, he show me his new pants, new shirt, short sleeves, no bruises." Yari was vehement on this point.

Kate nodded in agreement, acquiring new clothing was not exactly common with depressed, suicidal people. She looked closely at the pocket flap. "Something is caught in the Velcro…" She fished in her purse and produced a small vinyl pouch, one inch on a side. From it she extracted a tiny magnifying lens on a hinged frame.

Castle snickered. "Thought police don't use those anymore, 'not since Sherlock', was it?"

"Yeah well, I found this on line. It's meant for verifying thread counts, but I thought it might come in handy, in case YOU ever asked for one again. Yari, do you have some clear tape and a toothpick?"

Using the toothpick she pulled a thread that was tangled in the plastic loops of the pocket closure. She stuck it to the tape and folded the other half over, making a primitive slide of it. She held it up to the light, angling this way and that, even using the lens to study it. With a triumphant "Aha!" she grinned at her friend and Castle. To be certain she looked around the room, went through the drawers and the closet.

"Yari, how many women live in this house now?"

"Just my grandmother, why?"

"Does she own anything in iridescent turquoise silk?" Normally she left fiber ID up CSU, but she had taken a basic forensic course as a part of her criminal justice program, and she remembered the unique characteristics of silk threads.

"Babushka? No way."

"The Mafia he was working for. Do they run strip clubs like their American dwelling cousins?"

"Yes, I think so. Once he brought home a girl, Babushka talked about it for a week, she was NOT a nice girl. Too much make-up, she say. Too much…" she gestured to her own chest, and for the sake of his own survival, Rick tried very hard NOT to follow the directions her fingers were giving his eyes, "_grood._"

Glancing at the discomfiture on Rick's face, Kate decided _that_ one needed no translation. She saw that despite a valiant, visible effort to do otherwise, his eyes were drawn involuntarily to her friend's breasts. She bit back a smile, knowing that, as a visual learner, he had just acquired a brand new word in his vocabulary. She wouldn't hold it against him, and it might even come in handy later, when she asked him to touch her.

They went to the library and Kate and Yari went to the appropriate desk to get the report faxed to Lanie.

Rick wandered around, as libraries were a joy of his. By chance he found his way to the mystery section, if the images of chalk outlines, guns and blood pools on the covers was any indication. Scanning the shelves for a familiar combination of white print on bold colors, he let out a little cry of satisfaction when he spotted some of the novels from his own body of work.

Suspecting what he was up to, Kate came and found him easily. "Well, the report has been sent, now we wait. Let's go get some dinner."

Yari took them to a nearby restaurant. Kate's phone rang as they were eating dessert. Lanie's admonishing tone hit her through the speaker. "Even on your honeymoon, you manage to catch a case? Why can't you just stay in the hotel and make like bunnies, like everyone else does?"

"Because I can stare at four bedroom walls in New York. If I'm going to another country, I'm going to SEE the country. Besides, I can't stand sloppy cops, you know that. Now do you have anything for me or not?"

"I do. The pictures and description of the bruising, those were perimortem, hours old. Something else is funny, too. The levels of drugs in his system, they define 'overkill'. He'd have slipped into unconsciousness at a much lower dose, so I'm thinking he had some 'help' administering the rest."

"Thanks, Lanie! I owe you."

"No, you don't, girl, your gift arrived last night. You really shouldn't have, it's gorgeous."

After ending the call, Kate relayed the news to Rick and Yari. "Only one or two things left to do. Do you know exactly where Ivan worked?"

"Da, but it makes no difference. You have done enough, given my family enough. We know now that we did were not blind, like police say."

Ignoring her for the moment, Kate regarded Rick. "Do you have any markers left at the State Department that you could call in?"

"Maybe one or two, why?"

"I just think the authorities here ought to know that not everyone bought their line of bull, and maybe that message ought to come from a little higher up the food chain. If we can provide them with specifics, so much the better."

They returned to their hotel and dressed for a night out, then paid a visit to the club where Ivan had worked. It wasn't difficult to figure out who was in charge, and Kate managed to keep Rick's eyes off the gyrating strippers by telling him HE was in charge of surreptitiously snapping pictures of the major players.

Back in their room, Rick was charged up. They'd had their own little spy adventure, surrounded by half naked women, no less. Now the memory of Yarmilla's inadvertent revelation that Kate's feelings about him had pre-dated his for her had him gearing up for an interrogation of his own. He decided to employ his favorite questioning technique. Waiting until Kate was beneath him in post-coital bliss, he stroked her cheek and asked, "So, what was Yari saying earlier? 'The one who means so much to you?'"

Forcing her eyes to focus, she glared at him. "Ooh. You don't fight fair either, do you?"

"The way I see it, this is one of the only times I ever have the upper hand," he replied mildly.

"You think you do, but I'm not dishing, so I guess you _don't."_

"Really? We'll see about that." And with that, he brought his hand down her neck, over the swell of her breast and down to her ribcage, where he proceeded to tickle her without mercy. She was just weak enough that she couldn't effectively fight him off. She tried clamping her arms to her sides, but he went for her neck instead. When she lifted her hands to protect her neck, he attacked her ribs again. Finally, after struggling to catch her breath, she cracked.

"Ok, you win." Her smile slowly faded as she summoned the memories. She told him all about how reading his books had been like a safe harbor for her in all of the emotional turmoil following her mother's murder. In his characters she found kindred spirits that fought for justice, and when they obtained it, she felt vindicated, just a little. Her eyes got misty as she related the last part, and he crushed her to him.

"God, what an ass I am. Kate I swear, if I knew it was that, I never would have pushed it. Why didn't you just shut me down?"

"You are hard to resist. And besides, it was long overdue."

Yari insisted on driving them to the airport and seeing them off, thanking them repeatedly for what they had done for her. They wouldn't know for a while if anything would come of it, but at least her family was no longer left with the legacy that Ivan had taken his own life. She hugged Kate fiercely. "Katya, _spacibo bolshoe_." She then planted a noisy kiss on Rick's cheek before waving goodbye at the security checkpoint.

They boarded their plane and settled in the first class section. Rather than trying to go more than 10 hours nonstop, they opted for a flight with a connection in Zurich so that they could stretch their legs. They visited the duty free shop and purchased gift assortments of Swiss chocolate for Kate's father and the Captain. Montgomery's was extra large, a thanks for arranging the schedule so that Kate could have a full month off. Rick also purchased liter bottles of German ale for Ryan and Esposito.

In her seat on the Swiss Air flight to New York, Kate reflected on the amazing odyssey they had been on. She gripped Rick's hand tightly and looked at him, beyond words. He met her gaze knowingly and smiled. "You're welcome, Mrs. Castle."

* * *

**_So the honeymoon is, as they say, over. I have just made the decision to end this volume of their story here, as it feels like a nice complete unit. However, never fear because I have lots more adventures in store for them! Stay tuned for the next installment, "So Good Together"_**


End file.
